The world lost one of its brightest lights on March 9 when Gracie Ellen Pack Meiggs passed away at the age of 37.
Tragically, she was a passenger in a car hit by a drunk driver. She left behind two beautiful daughters, a loving family and a life that was in many ways just getting started.
Gracie had a gift that most people spend a lifetime hoping for: she never met a stranger. She had the uncanny ability to make everyone around her feel like her dearest friend. Her energy was unique, the kind that fills a room before she even walks through the door. Her laugh was filled with the kind of joy that makes you laugh even when you don’t know what’s funny.
Truly, there was no one like Gracie. Knowing Gracie was knowing what it meant to be larger than life. Texas has nothing on the size of the hole her loss has left in her family’s hearts.
At the center of Gracie’s universe were her two daughters, Stella and Lela. They were her greatest joy, her fiercest motivation and her proudest accomplishment. She treated motherhood and aunt-hood with the same wholehearted enthusiasm she brought to everything she loved. Whether horseback riding with Lela, tumbling with Stella or taking her nieces and nephew on secret adventures, Gracie always brought the fun. She taught by example what it means to be brave, to be kind and to persevere.
Gracie had recently celebrated one full year of sobriety, a milestone she wore with pride. Her journey was a testament to her strength and her deep commitment to being her best self for her girls and for everyone who loved her. Those who walked alongside her through that chapter know the courage it took and the woman it revealed.
Gracie was a woman of many passions, each one pursued with characteristic intensity. Her zeal for fitness encouraged her students and classmates. On the golf course, she was a natural, talented, competitive and endlessly fun to play alongside. She was a traveler at heart, drawn to new places, new people and new experiences with an open spirit that made every trip an adventure. She spent six weeks in Israel when she was 17 and a week in Hong Kong in her early 20s, and her travels included Machu Picchu, Africa and many countries in Europe. Gracie’s love of art history motivated her sense of exploration, bringing her to countries all over the world.
Gracie Ellen Pack Meiggs loved fiercely, laughed freely and moved through this world like someone who understood, better than most, that life is short and connection is everything.
She is survived by her two beloved daughters Stella and Lela Meiggs; her husband, Wyatt Meiggs; her parents, Ruthie and Jay Pack; her sister and brother-in-law, Lucy and Kyle Schanzer; her nieces, Nora and Sloane Schanzer; nephew, Avery Schanzer; along with the many, many people who, having known Gracie, will spend the rest of their lives a little richer for it.
A funeral service was held on March 18 at Temple Emanu-el in Dallas, Texas, followed by a burial service and reception. Friends and family are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gracie Pack fund at the Nelson Art Museum in Kansas City; First Tee – Monterey County (firstteemontereycounty.org); Temple Emanu-el in Dallas; or the charity of your choice.