Funeral Service
Dorsey Clair Mace
October 16, 1937 – March 16, 2025
Dorsey Mace, 87, of Riverton, Wyoming passed away at his home on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Funeral service will be 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Cornerstone Community Church. Private interment will take place.
He was born on Saturday, October 16, 1937, in Spencer, West Virginia, to George Warren and Hallie (Waggoner) Mace. Dorsey grew up in Roane County, West Virginia, and graduated from Roane County High School in 1956. He worked his way through college earning his bachelor’s degree from Glenville State Teachers College in Glenville, West Virginia, now known as Glenville State University in 1960.
On Thursday, April 25, 1957, Dorsey married his childhood sweetheart, Shirley Isabelle Price, at St. John’s Methodist Church in Spencer, West Virginia. In 1960, the couple moved to Wheatland, Wyoming to begin Dorsey’s teaching career and explore the Cowboy State’s beautiful outdoors.
Mr. Mace taught English, Speech, Theater Arts and Physical Education in Wyoming High Schools from 1960 to 1978 (Wheatland, Thermopolis, Powell and Riverton) and then again in the mid 90’s (Jeffery City and Dubois). His Wheatland production of Annie Get your Gun in the early 60’s won him best director. Additionally, he coached swimming, football, and competitive Speech and Debate. Some of his proudest moments coaching were in 1970, when Mr. Mace enthusiastically led the Hot Springs County High School swimming team in Thermopolis to second in their class at the state meet. Many former Riverton Junior High students remember him as the seventh-grade football coach during the Fall 1972 undefeated season.
Dorsey enjoyed his second career in the sales industry from 1978 to 1994 which included life insurance and cemetery sales. By far his favorite was as an agent of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. He truly loved working with the people.
Dorsey loved a good hunting story and had a lifelong love affair with the western outdoors. He particularly loved to hunt elk and spent a significant part of each year preparing for the beginning of elk hunting season, both physically and by constructing his own elk bugles and other equipment. His love of hunting inspired him to write several articles for Outdoor Life , Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, other national publications. His daughters inspired and assisted in creating and promoting his book, Hunting Memories, Treasures of a Lifetime which was his last publication, which captured stories of his simple boyhood adventures hunting squirrels and deer in 1950s West Virginia, to exciting modern-day big game hunts in Wyoming, Africa, and Alaska. His horses, friends and two daughters joined him on many outings.
Morgan horses were also a big part of his life. He enjoyed training them and their potential humans, and this allowed him to become the educator again. He found great satisfaction in competing in horse shows, helping herd cattle, summer pack trips and, of course, during his many hunting expeditions with horses he had trained himself.
He attended the United Methodist Church, First Baptist, and Cornerstone Church in Riverton.
Dorsey is survived by his two daughters, Lisa Claire Mace (Craig German) and Amy Marie Mace Farnham (Gregory Farnham); and his four grandsons, Grayson Farnham, Jaron Farnham, Luke German and Jackson German.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Shirley Mace; his parents, George and Hallie Mace; and his sister, Irene Mace.
On-line condolences for Dorsey’s family may be made at TheDavisFuneralHome.com
Services under the direction of Davis Funeral Home, Crematory, and Monuments.