Sophia C. Paul

SOPHIA PAUL (Age 107) Sophia Camarinos Paul, known as "Mimi" to her grandchildren and their friends, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at her home in Washington, DC, having recently celebrated her 107th birthday. Born and raised in Williamsport, PA, Sophia was one of six children of Vasiliki and Emmanuel Camarinos. She studied piano and graduated from the Dickinson Conservatory (now Lycoming College). During the Great Depression her family moved to Washington, DC. In 1935, she married James D. Paul, founder of Paul's Wholesale Florist Company and real estate investor. A classically trained concert pianist, Mrs. Paul chose not to pursue a career in music in favor of a life devoted to her family. She remained active in the arts throughout her life, and was a long-time member of The Arts Club of Washington. She was on the Women's Committee for the National Symphony Orchestra. She was a patron of the American Heart Association's Annual Luncheon Honoring the First Lady and Congressional Wives. She also volunteered her time with the Salvation Army. Following her husband's death in 1961, she moved to The Westchester, her home for the next 52 years. A gracious presence in Washington, Mrs. Paul was a refined woman known for her elegance and romantic style, always seen with miniature orchids in her hair. Her family and friends remember fondly many pleasant afternoons together enjoying high tea in the Garden Terrace at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. Mrs. Paul was the devoted mother to Dennis and his wife Georgianna of Washington, DC, and to Nicholas and his wife June of Annapolis, MD. She was adored by her grandchildren: Catharine, Denisse, Dennis and wife Coralie, Georgianna and fiancé Bryan, the late James II and wife Christiana, Mary Elizabeth and husband Andrew, Nicholas and wife Melissa. She was the loving great-grandmother to Anais, Ann, Emelia, James III, James, Maximilien, and Robert. She attended the Fifth Church of Christ Scientist in Georgetown. A private burial will be held