William Ellsworth Trace

A graveside service for William Ellsworth "Bill" Trace, age 80, of Newark, will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, at Newark Memorial Gardens with Larry Webb officiating. Military honors will be observed by the Licking County Veterans Alliance.

Bill was born July 9, 1942 in Newark, Ohio to the late George L. Trace, Sr. and Ruth Elizabeth (Shrock) Trace. He passed away on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at Springfield Regional Medical Center.

Bill was a veteran of the United States Navy where he faithfully and proudly served his country with the Seabees. He loved photography and was a national free-lance photographer. He also enjoyed woodworking, sewing, building things, working on cars, and was a wonderful mechanic.  Bill was very musically inclined and taught himself the keyboard and the banjo and loved to dance. He attended the Cedar Hill Baptist Church for many years.

He is survived by a brother, George L. Trace of Saint Paris; sister, Elizabeth “Libby” Carver of Heath; five step-daughters whom he thought of as his daughters, Barbara (Chuck) Battles, JoEllen Moore, Kimberly (Richard) Hoover, JoAnn West, and Kristina Zipperer; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; special niece, Shelby (Larry) Webb of Benson, Arizona, and many other nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce (Mason) Trace, whom he married September 28, 1999 and who passed away on August 16, 2020; a sister-in-law, Martha Trace; and by a brother-in-law.

Criss Wagner Hoskinson Funeral Home is honored to care for Bill and his family.