J. Donald Brace Jr.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2019 at 3:42 pm

Donald BraceAmerican flagJ. Donald Brace Jr., 85, of Florida and formerly of Albion, died Aug. 19, 2019 following a short but courageous battle with cancer. He was born July 7, 1934, a son of J. Donald and Helen (Clark) Brace Sr.

Don served in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957. He worked at Lipton Tea Company for 26½ years until they closed, and then he worked for Leroy Industries until his retirement. He then went to work for the Canal Corporation until moving to Bradenton, Fla. He played football for the Medina Macs, coached Little League, had a rural paper route, and was a member of the Albion Fire Department. Don was also involved in politics for 19 years and was a trustee for the Village of Albion, and then served as Mayor for the village. He also served as a councilman for the Town of Albion, and then as Town Supervisor.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his daughter, Deborah Brace; brother, James Brace; and sister, Carol McGaffick.

He is survived by his loving wife, Laura (Dix); son, J. Donald (Judy) Brace III; daughters, Connie (Ronald) Ebbs and Laurie (Andrew) VanHouten; grandchildren, Jennifer Gonzalez, Jason Ebbs, Marc Grimm, Julie and Randy VanHouten, Tresia and Sarah Brace; and great-grandchildren, Bailey Gonzalez, Pyper Drake and Hannah Ebbs.

The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 31 at Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes, Inc., 21 West Ave., Albion, where his memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. on Aug. 31. Burial with military honors will be in Mt. Albion Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Orleans, P.O. Box 489, Albion NY 14411.

To share a special memory of Don, please visit www.mitchellfamilyfuneralhomes.com.