Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

In wake of tragedy, loved ones reminisce

Connor Pace, who finished his first year as a law student at UF last Spring, loved the water.

His brother, Collier Pace, said their family visited the mountains in North Carolina every year. He said there was a river near the cabin that was just warm enough to swim in during the summer.

They would eat lunch by the river and watch the fish swim. Sometimes Connor would catch those fish, but not with a fishing pole.

Collier, net in hand, would stand in the water and wait for a fish to swim by, Collier said.

“Not too many people have the patience to do that,” Collier said.

He was 27 years old when he finished his first year at the Levin College of Law, then working as an intern at Southern Legal Counsel in Gainesville.

On June 23, Connor’s parents called Gainesville Police after a week of not hearing from their son. When officers visited his house, they discovered he was no longer there, according to an incident report.

His car was found in a parking garage in Savannah, Georgia, with his pets — a cockatiel, hedgehog and dog — inside. They were not injured or stressed, according to the report.

On Friday, it was clear Connor’s life had ended when a fisherman found his skeletal remains near Russ Point Boat Landing in South Carolina.

Connor — a man who enjoyed fishing in the rivers of North Carolina or relaxing at Daytona Beach, where his family owns the Big Shark gift shop — was found in the kind of place he once found comfort.

Capt. Bob Bromage of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s office said his cause of death is unknown, but foul play is not suspected.

Lennette Daniels, a paralegal at Southern Legal Counsel where Connor interned, said he was dedicated to work and was loved in the office.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

Virginia Poe, who met Connor when she was 3, said he was passionate about animals, especially his four pets, including a giant tortoise named Sarah.

“There used to be two (hedgehogs), but one got sick and had to be given medicine every two hours,” she said. “He had to wake up in the middle of the night to give this poor hedgehog medicine.”

Poe said her friend was happy, and that he was proud of the work he was doing. After a rough patch as an undergraduate at the University of Central Florida, his life began to turn around.

“Connor was someone that cared about social justice and equality and animals, and I think Connor would have done just about anything in his power to pursue the right thing,” she said.

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.