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Gina Marie Pace believed we choose when we leave this life, and she decided to depart April 12 on the bank of the San Miguel River. At 50 years of age, many would believe her time came too soon, but to Gina it’s all part of the universe’s greater plan. Or perhaps her perpetually rising stack of unopened AARP mail wore too greatly upon the forever young-at-heart Gina.

Gina’s heart was big enough for anyone. She was especially fond of the crazies, the misfits, and the rebels, which explains why she loved her family so dearly. She is survived by her eight siblings, Steve, Therin, Lynn, Asa, Trevor, Heather, Johah, and Salvatore.

A blessing and a curse, Gina saw and felt the world for what it is. The heartache she carried since childhood sometimes made her act in ways that were hard to understand, but she loved us all despite our trespasses against her. She forgave the unforgivable, thank goodness, for all of us.

One year ago, Gina lost her father, Salvatore Pace, whose passing left a tremendous void in her life. Telluride’s prolific music scene could only slightly soothe the yearning for her father’s musicianship, and the trails around town she frequented could only carry her so close to him in the sky. If climbing Ajax 50 times in a day meant she could see her father again, Gina would climb it 100 times.

Eight years ago, Gina finally met her soul mate and the two remained inseparable. Buckwheat was a 90 lb. black Lab and is believed to have been with Gina at the time of the accident, so let’s take a moment to remember his spirit as well. Buckwheat was always there to take care of Gina when others couldn’t. His heart was pure gold and he carried a patience so impenetrable that Buckwheat once endured an entire Ziggy Marley concert with balloons tied to his service vest to the pleasure of Gina. All he asked for was the love of Gina and the promise of a peanut butter-filled Kong toy.

Gina was a graduate of Valley Regional High School. A constant tinkerer, she spent her whole life figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. Raised in Connecticut surrounded by mechanics, woodworkers, and artists, she absorbed an array of skills and could just as easily fix your skin as she could diagnose a mechanical problem with your vehicle. Gina was a Jill-of-all-trades, but if she had to be recognized as only one thing, it would be Mother. Her greatest accomplishment was the raising of her strong, loving, and beautiful daughter, Nastassja.

So much did Gina love her daughter, she was preparing to leave her 25-year home of Telluride to be close to Nastassja in Portland, Oregon. But Gina’s roots had dug too deeply into the Telluride mountainsides, eventually to be swept away by the San Miguel River and carried along on her journey she so confidently believed the universe had laid before her.

A community-wide service will be held Saturday, April 22 at Telluride Town Park from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a summertime service in Connecticut. All are welcome in the celebration of Gina's life. In lieu of flowers, the family has established a donation page (www.gofundme.com/ginamariepace) to help alleviate end-of-life costs.