Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Zachary Gene Mace, 19, of Winter Haven passed away Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
He was born April 19, 2003, in Winter Haven and was a lifelong resident of the area. Zach was a private pilot. He was a Polk State College student pursuing his degree in Aerospace Science. He worked for the City of Lakeland as an intern at the Lakeland Linder Airport.
Zachary Gene Mace
During his high school career at Summerlin Academy, he was Battalion Commander of JROTC and was captain of the lacrosse team. He graduated with the 2021 class as salutatorian. Zach was a certified lifeguard and a certified open water scuba diver. In his free time, he enjoyed bowling, and he was known for his Hawaiian shirts.
Zach is survived by his parents, Van and Virginia Mace of Winter Haven; sister, Alex Mace of Winter Haven; maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Dean of Frankfort, Kentucky; paternal grandmother, Bonnie Sue Mace of Winter Haven; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A celebration of life was held Sunday, March 12, 2023, at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland.
In lieu of flowers, a go fund me has been set up to go toward Zachary’s student loans and a scholarship through Polk State College-Aerospace (https://www.gofundme.com/f/zachary-mace).
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions.
If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.