Gerard Charles Cace's Obituary
Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, with the Rev. Gavin Vaverek, Father Gerald Priest and Father Bruce Lincoln officiating under direction of Rader Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Rosewood Park. Rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. Friday at St. Mary's Catholic Church with visitation following.
Gerard fell ill and died suddenly Wednesday, July 18, 2012 in Alexandria, La.
Gerard was born in Shreveport on August 19, 1952, to the late Valerie Savony and John S. Cace Jr. He attended St. Anthony's Catholic School, Forest Park Junior High and graduated from Longview High School in 1971. He earned a bachelor's degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, in 1976.
He married Cathy Painter on May 1, 1982. The marriage was blessed with two daughters, Jennifer and Chelsea.
Gerard was the owner/operator of Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House in Longview since 1982, having started as a busboy and learned the business from his father.
Gerard was devoted to his family, his church and his community, a devotion that was evident in the many activities and duties he undertook throughout his life, most with Cathy at his side. He was a past president of the Texas Restaurant Association, having served as a director for almost 25 years and held a number of officer positions.
An ardent supporter of the annual Taste of Longview, he served as its co-chairman. The East Texas Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association honored him three times with its Outstanding Restaurateur award, and in 2009 he received the Excellence Award in the Manager Category. He served three terms as president of ETRA and was a director for 35 years. In 2011 Gerard was inducted into the Texas Restaurant Association Hall of Honor which is the association's highest honor.
Gerard was an active participant in the TRA Public Affairs Conference as well as the National Restaurant Association Public Affairs conference in Washington, D.C.
Other awards included the 2011 Distinguished Gentleman Award from the Longview Regional Medical Center Healthy Woman program; Outstanding Leadership Award from the Area 3 Career and Technology Association of Texas for outstanding service to Texas High School Career and Technology Departments; City of Longview Tourism Partner of the Year from the Longview Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with Cathy; Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Longview/Greggton Rotary Club; and the Junior League of Longview Crystal Pineapple Award.
Gerard and his family were members of St. Mary's Catholic Church and he was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He and Cathy received the Friends of St. Mary's Award for service to the school.
He served on the St. Mary's school board for 10 years, three of those as president.
Gerard helped host a yearly fish fry and golf tournament for Longview police officers and fire fighters
Gerard loved to fish. He belonged to the Delta Fishing Club for more than 30 years, serving as its president for more than 20 years. He was passionate about fishing for redfish, speckled trout and flounder in the Mississippi Delta off of Plaquemines Parish in South Louisiana, where his father was born and raised.
He also loved the music of Jimmy Buffet and considered himself a Parrothead Buffet music fan.
Gerard is survived by his wife, Cathy; daughters, Jenni Cace Woerndle and her husband, Graham, and Chelsea Cace; Brothers, John and wife, Linda, and Danny and wife, Sarah; his aunt Rose Cace Sanders and many cousins, nieces and nephews and a loyal staff at the restaurant.
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