Polycarpe Francoise Espin "Paquita" Küpper

On June 7, 2012, beloved mother, aunt, and mother-in-law Polycarpe Francoise Espin Perez Küpper (a.ka. Paquita) passed away at the age of 96. Paquita was feisty and independent, a good cook, an animal lover, a devoted gardener, and an international lady who spoke five languages. Paquita was born on February 7, 1916, in Algeria, North Africa, of Spanish and French parents. She met her husband Frans Karel Küpper in the late 1930’s and they wed in March 1941 in Oran, Algeria. They had twin boys in London in January 1945. They resided in Norway where Frans became a tugboat captain towing oil platforms into the North Sea. In the early 1960’s they moved to Houston, TX where he towed oil platforms into the Gulf of Mexico. They lost one of their sons, Frans Karel Küpper, Jr., who died in a car accident in March 1970. After Frans retired, he and Paquita moved to Mobile, AL where Frans died in March 1998. Paquita is survived by her son, Willem Michel Küpper; her nephews, Hendrik Willem Küpper and Menno Aartsen; her nieces Anna Maria Naber- Küpper and Renske Elisabeth Zeelte-Küpper; and her daughter-in-law, Jackie Bruns. A memorial service will be held from the chapel of Radney Funeral Home on Dauphin Street on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 or the Mobile SPCA, 620 Zeigler Cir. W., Mobile, AL 36608. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com. Arrangements by Radney Funeral Home, 3155 Dauphin Street, Mobile, Alabama 36606.