Elder Allen Dee Pace, 68, a senior missionary from Willard, Utah, died Saturday, April 18, due to complications from COVID-19.

Elder Pace and his wife, Sister Nedra Pace, had been serving in the Michigan Detroit Mission since December 2019, said Church spokesman Daniel Woodruff. They had not yet been formally released from missionary service prior to his death.

After becoming ill in mid-March, Elder Pace went into the care of his wife and daughter in a nearby state. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early April.

“We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Elder Pace as they mourn his passing, and we continue to pray for all who are impacted by this pandemic,” Woodruff said.

Elder Pace was an accomplished teacher, stage actor and school administrator. Read more about him on Deseret.com.