Chuck Pace, who was recently elected to serve a full term on the Albemarle County School Board, died suddenly Wednesday. He was 64.
A Charlottesville native, Charles Cumbee Pace graduated from Charlottesville High and then from Virginia Military Institute. He served in the Navy Reserve and retired as an intelligence officer.
Pace began teaching Albemarle County students in 1986 as a high school biology teacher at Albemarle High. In his decadeslong career with ACPS, Pace coached varsity lacrosse, track and football. He was later the district’s K-12 science instructional coordinator.
On Thursday, Albemarle Superintendent Matthew Haas issued a statement via social media honoring the late school board member. Haas first met Pace in 2004, when he was “immediately struck by his strong commitment to supporting educators.”
"Chuck sincerely believed in the power of collaboration and innovation coupled with effective classroom instruction,” he wrote.
Pace was appointed to the school board’s Rio District seat in 2023 after Katrina Callsen became a state delegate.
In a statement, Albemarle’s school board members said they were “stunned and heartbroken” at Pace’s sudden death: “His death is a loss for us and a loss for the ACPS community that he served for so many years.”
Callsen, whose vacancy Pace filled on the school board, issued a brief social media post early Thursday: “Chuck gave his entire adult life to public service, both in the military and in public education. He valued the importance of just doing the work that needed to be done. My heart goes out to his family.”
He is survived by his wife, Anne Marie, and four children.
