Col. John Stephen Mace

John Stephen Mace, was born January 13, 1920 in Marion, South Carolina, an only child to Everett Lamar and Emily Frances Mace. He passed away peacefully in Kirkland, Washington on December 10, 2016. His eldest daughter, Stephanie was at his side, her husband, William Settle and great-grandson, Miles Rengstorf were also present. John frequently joked in the last months of his very long and full life, just shy of 97 years, that his cause of death would read TMB Too Many Birthdays! John was nicknamed from birth JS by his mother and was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, measuring his early days, not by the hours of the day he would say, but by the oceans tidesAt low tide, you dug for clams, at high tide, you went swimming. His mother was a college graduate (unusual for women in the early 1900s) and a teacher who encouraged in him a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning. He spent his summers at Green Sea, SC, his mothers family estate, and there became acquainted with the practical rigors, disciplines, and joys of farm life. His father, a pharmacist, owned a drugstore in Charleston and was also the county game warden. JS helped at the drugstore after school hours and often accompanied his father around the county during his duties as game warden. Innately curious from early childhood, he deeply loved and appreciated everything about nature and the world in which he lived. All the while he was gathering new stories from the people he met along his way, stories that he enjoyed and had a special gift for recounting all his life. He frequently said, I was gifted with the best attributes from each of my parents and have always been just about the luckiest man that a man could be!JS loved horses and grew up riding and hunting. He had his first pony when quite young and shot his first deer at age 10, a young buck, earning him rite of passage to young adulthood. He was an avid Boy Scout and, at age 13, was one of the youngest to attain the rank of Eagle Scout in South Carolina at that time. He later remained active as a Scout Leader and supported scouting throughout his lifetime. JS attended primary and secondary schools in Charleston, entering Clemson College in 1937 where he studied Chemical Engineering and Military Science. Upon graduation in 1941, he stepped up to the stage, receiving his diploma on one side and his officers commission on the other. The Colonel as he later affectionately came to be known by many, thus began what would be a long and distinguished career in the US Army.JS won many awards while at Clemson. The one he was most proud of was for Marksmanship and his proficiency as a sharp shooter saved him and many of his men at key times during the war. In the spring of 1944, JS shipped out on the Queen Mary for England with the 7 Armored Division to join Pattons Third Army for the drive through Europe. He participated in the retaking of Chartres, for which he was awarded a Silver Star for saving a platoon of men from capture and helping to capture some three hundred German soldiers. He was later involved in the Ardennes counter offensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge, where his Regiment was surrounded at St. Vith for seven days as the German army swept by in their last-ditch effort to counter attack the allied forces. Of the 1,800 men involved at St. Vith, only about 350 emerged a week later. After the war ended, when given the option to stay another year in war torn Europe or return home, JS chose to return and give civilian life a try. He worked with The Tennessee Eastman Corporation briefly, but other than affording him an introduction to Mary Whitlow, who was later to become his wife, he found that he far preferred the life in the army. He was reassigned for a tour of duty in Japan, after that, saw front-line action on the ground during the Korean War, then returned to the US to teach at University of Kansas and Fort Leavenworth, historically called the Intellectual Center of the Army.In January of 1955, JS married Mary Elizabeth Whitlow, the only woman (he) ever truly loved. He also then became father overnight to Stephanie, an infant of 4 months from Marys first marriage. JS continued to teach and the three of them remained in Kansas for another year and a half. This was a period in his life filled with a level of intellectual pursuit that he happily cultivated, thoroughly enjoyed, and sought with dedication to inspire in others. His next assignment took them to Ft Richardson, near Anchorage in Alaska territory. Here his son, John Whitlow, was born in November, 1958. In off hours, he and his young family took full advantage of the vast wilderness activities outdoors. The family in summer hiked and picnicked along streams in the mountains, in winter there was dogsledding and skiing. JS, in the company of Army buddies, spent many weekends hunting deer and bear, or fishing. JS had always been interested in native Indian lore, and often recounted tales he learned about Indian and Eskimo customs and festivities. The stories of when Alaska finally became a state in January, 1959, usually began, as many of his stories did, with one of his favorite sayings, Nothing ordinary ever happened to me in my life!JS had two tours of duty in the National Military Command Center, or War Room at the Pentagon. As a Major in 1960-1963, he was Executive Officer in the War Room during the Cuban missile crisis. In 1964 he attended The Army War College in Carlisle, PA where he earned his Masters degree in International Policy. The following two years were spent in Ft Hood, TX as a Lieutenant Colonel with an infantry battalion under his command. His youngest daughter, Catherine was born in Killeen, TX in March, 1965. In summer, 1966 JS was re-posted to Korea, while the family returned to live outside of Washington, DC. He returned the next spring to his work in the War Room at the Pentagon during the height of the Cold War and the Vietnam war. JS was later honored with The Legion of Merit for his work in the War Room during that time.His next posting, 1970-1972 took the family to live in Taipei, Taiwan where JS was assigned as Military Attach to Cheng Kai-Shek. JS, with Mary always at his side, were an ideal couple for the roles for which they had been chosen here. Both were much honored and respected by the Taiwanese whom they came to know and love. From Asia, he returned to live and work at Ft Monroe, one of the oldest military installations in the US, located at Old Point Comfort, in Hampton, VA. Begun in 1609, this seven-sided fort surrounded by a moat is the largest stone fort ever built in the US. As JS especially loved Civil War history, or as he called it Confederate history, this posting, where the past is still very much alive in the present, was a real delight for him. The final posting of JS career was with the US National Guard in Salem, OR. He became Grandpa J in December, 1978 when his first grandchild of six, Vanessa, was born. He retired from military service shortly afterwards, in May, 1979. Were it not for his mandatory retirement, which was announced as 38 years of Distinguished Service there is little doubt in anyones mind that JS would have remained with the US Army his whole life, a military man to his core. He served 5 years in Active Duty during WWII, 3 years of Reserve Duty prior to the Korean War, and 30 years with Regular Army from1949-1979. By the end of his military career, John S Mace had been awarded numerous medals and awards, including the National Defense Service Medal (twice), the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star (twice), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (twice), the Purple Heart (three times), the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Badge, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Meal and the World War II Victory Medal. Clearly not quite ready to stop contributing yet, JS went, unaccompanied by family, to train the Sheiks Royal Guard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over the next three years before pting full retirement in 1983. He returned to life in Oregon, focusing his free time bui