Paula Ann Brafford Wilson

Paula Ann Brafford Wilson was the firstborn child to Paul Brafford and Thera Elkins Brafford, born on January 28, 1952, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In 1958, her family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, the city that would become her lifelong home. Paula met her devoted husband Rex when they were cast together in a production of The Apple Tree at Workshop Theatre in the summer of 1978. They were married at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church on January 5,1980, beginning a partnership rooted in laughter, loyalty, and love that lasted until his death in September 2022. Paula and Rex were blessed with three children: Martha Ann “Ann” Wilson Baggett (Jon) of Columbia, Kelly Wilson Hall (Michael) of Atlanta, and Reginald “Reg” Darlington Wilson, III, (Courtney) of Columbia; five grandchildren, Charlotte “Lottie” Taylor Hall, Alice Weston Hall, William Wilson “Wil” Hall, Charles “Charlie” Darlington Wilson, and Cameron Gray Wilson. Paula is also survived by her sister Marcia Brafford, her sister-in-law Martha Ann “Mitten” Wilson Brown and her husband Frank, two nephews, Frank Reginald “Reggie” Brown, IV, and Riggs Wilson Brown, and one niece, Elizabeth Cameron Brafford, as well as a host of extended family (including the TRUMC choir!) and dear friends.

A lifelong learner and lover of all things music, Paula was an honors graduate of A.C. Flora High School (Class of 1970). She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 1974, double majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Education. She completed her Master’s degree in Music Education at Florida State University in 1975. A gifted coloratura soprano, she performed the demanding role of “The Queen of the Night” in Mozart’s The Magic Flute as a graduate student in her first semester at FSU, a testament to both her vocal talent and fearless artistry.

Paula, a champion of public education, began teaching music in Richland One at Gibbes Middle School, where she taught for six years while remaining involved in the local musical theater community. One of her signature roles was “Dolly” in Hello, Dolly! along with the irrepressible Gerald Floyd at Workshop Theatre in 1989. From August 1981 until July 2008, Paula served as a music educator and team leader at Conder Elementary School, where she met many faithful friends. She was named the Richland District Two Teacher of the Year in 2000–2001, an honor that reflected her extraordinary dedication to students and her advocacy for the power of music to shape young lives. She delighted in producing school musicals and PTA programs, co-directing the district honors chorus for ten years, and celebrating the unique creativity of children. From 2010 to 2020, she served as Director of Choral Studies at Columbia College, where she loved mentoring talented students and shaping the next generation of musicians and educators.

Paula’s calling to music ministry was just as profound. From August 1981 through December 2018, she was employed at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, first as Children’s Choir Director and later as Director of Music from 1989 to 2018. Under her leadership, the church became recognized as one of the premier music ministries in the state. She led with excellence and vision, touching many lives through her eclectic selection of music, her natural charisma and vivacious personality, her signature passion for tall vowels, and her abiding faith in the depth and breadth of the love of God. Throughout her years of service, Paula embraced the richness of worship traditions shaped by different pastors and personalities at her beloved church, of which congregation she was a lifelong member. Paula also cherished opportunities to travel abroad with her church choir family, visiting Israel, Greece, and Italy and conducting the choir in celebrated venues such as Saint Peter’s Basilica and Manger Square in Bethlehem. As a celebrated choral clinician, she conducted choral workshops for both children and adults across the Southeastern region. She found great joy in conducting masterworks such as the Faure Requiem, the Rutter Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah, but her favorite was always the Brahms Requiem. Paula was one of four founding choral conductors in Columbia’s women’s ensemble, She Sings, along with Fredna Lee, Angela Powers, and Dr. Lillian Quackenbush, and she strongly advocated for the mission of that group to support women and children’s charities across the city of Columbia.

Beyond her many professional accomplishments, Paula was a gifted storyteller, who could charm anyone with her quick-witted conversation and famous stories about her family and her schoolchildren. She was a meticulous organizer, with a fine china obsession, and an elegant decorator with a penchant for blue and white pottery and an eye for refined beauty. A true Southern lady, she knew how to make ordinary moments into extraordinary celebrations, by paying attention to details like table settings, flowers, and wine selection, and she made a delicious Saturday night pot roast, too. Paula loved to share her gift of hospitality with her friends and family, and passed on her understanding of how to entertain properly to anyone in need of a tutorial. Her sense of humor brought levity and warmth to every space she entered; most especially, she enjoyed giggles in her frequent calls and visits with her adored grandchildren. In her retirement years, Paula greatly enjoyed watching Frasier and TCM with her husband Rex, sipping a glass of Chardonnay with friends, debating holiday menu design with her daughters, and ordering Alexa to play her favorite listening music, a wide range of pop-opera, Broadway, and classical, anything from Audra McDonald to Frank Sinatra to Mozart. As a mother, she instilled in her children a love of the arts, unbounded generosity in relationships, and a joyful commitment to family and church traditions. More than anything, Paula delighted in spending time at Higher Ground in Lake Junaluska in the mountains of Western North Carolina, especially at Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July, and quick getaways with her Sunday School class. Known and loved best in her roles as wife, mother, grandmother (“Yaya”), sister, aunt, choir director, teacher, and friend, Paula’s greatest love was her family, and her greatest gift was her music—a sacred gift she believed was meant to be shared. When asked about the source of her success, she echoed the same conviction as her favorite composer, J.S. Bach: Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone be the glory.

A service of Death and Resurrection will be held at 4:00 in the afternoon on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, 3401 Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC, 29204. The family will receive guests in the Church Dining Room following the service, and they request that memorials be made to the Paula Wilson Music Ministry Development Fund at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church Foundation.