Pauline Chinnaraj

September 10, 1930 – December 26, 2021

Born Pauline Honorine Therese Douret. Pauline’s family was from Karaikal, a small seaside town in the south of India. Karaikal is in the Union Territory of Pondicherry (Puducherry) which was a French colonial settlement from 1674 until 1954, at which time it was incorporated into the Republic of India. Pauline however was born in the Vietnam city of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in 1930. Her father was stationed there for many years as a Brigadier with the Indian Army.

Pauline’s parents were Marius and Margaret Douret. Pauline had 4 brothers and sisters, Angeline, Prosper, Caroline and Marcelline, in order of age. Pauline was the youngest. Pauline was very close to her next oldest sister Marcelline who sadly died at a young age of heat stroke. After marriage, Pauline’s oldest sister, Angeline and her family remained in India. Her brother Prosper moved with his wife to Paris, where he lived most of his life, only returning to India in the 1990’s. Her sister Caroline moved to Singapore where she raised her family. All of Pauline’s siblings have passed away.

Pauline was wed to P. Chinnaraj in 1948. As the story goes, Mr. Chinnaraj, as a potential suitor, visited the Douret home to meet one of Pauline’s sisters. Instead, he fell in love with Pauline and asked for her hand in marriage. After the wedding, the couple moved to Madras (Chennai) where Mr. Chinnaraj began his career as an editor and broadcaster working for both the All India Radio Network and Radio Ceylon, before beginning employment with the Voice of America (VOA). Started in 1942, the VOA is an American international broadcaster producing content in 47 different languages. VOA programming has an influence on public opinion abroad regarding the United States and its people.

The VOA provided the couple and their growing family the opportunity to come to the US on a temporary visa. Mr. Chinnaraj worked for the agency in the District of Columbia. When the contract ended and they were to return to India, the family took a trip across the United States. They fell in love with the country and its friendly, hospitable people, so much so, that they decided to stay in the US. They lived in several apartments in the District of Columbia before purchasing and moving into a home in Oxon Hill, Maryland where they lived for 30 years.

Pauline had very friendly and accommodating neighbors (including people of German, Irish, Polish, Swedish and Italian descent, among others). They helped the family assimilate into American Culture. One neighbor would take Pauline to English language classes so that she could learn to read and write in English. They also taught her how to make many common American dishes, such as meatloaf and spaghetti, which she would feed her family between their normal Indian meals. Pauline would also share her Indian culture with her neighbors, often hosting legendary dinner parties for couples on her block. Some friends talk about these parties even today.

The couple was also intimately involved in local South Indian-American associations, including the Tamil Mandram and Tamil Sangum. Mr. Chinnaraj held various positions in the organizations which promoted Tamil culture and heritage in the D.C. area. The groups would also teach the Tamil language to their children and would help to make recent transplants feel at home. Mr. Chinnaraj would often secure first-run Indian movies from India to be shown locally to the Indian community. Several of the top

Indian actors and dignitaries even paid visits to the Chinnaraj home in Oxon Hill (including M.G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan and Persis Khambatta of Star Trek fame).

In the late 1980’s, Mr. Chinnaraj retired from the government after nearly 30 years of service, and the couple moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland. They lived a peaceful retired life, remaining close to their children and grandchildren here for 20 years, until Mr. Chinnaraj died of heart failure in 2013. Pauline then moved in with her daughter Jacqueline in Gaithersburg and just this year, her and Jacqueline moved to Urbana, Maryland. Pauline suffered a hip fracture after a fall earlier this year, and on the morning of December 20th suffered from what appeared to be a stroke. She was on hospice care. Although she was still able to communicate with her family for a few more days through head gestures and hand squeezes, she continued to decline through the week and finally succumbed to her condition on the morning of the 26th.

Pauline is survived by her children, John Chinnaraj and his wife Renuka, Cindy Behram, Jaipal Chinnaraj, Jayanthi Gaspar and her husband Julian, Jacqueline Chinnaraj, Anthony Chinnaraj and his wife Lynn, and Paul Chinnaraj and his wife Marlene. She is survived by 8 grandchildren, Raymond Chinnaraj and his wife Danielle, Archana D’Amico and her husband Kyle, Philip Gaspar, Selena Behram, Nathaniel Chinnaraj, Matthew Chinnaraj, Alexander Chinnaraj and Christine Chinnaraj. She is preceded in death by her grandson Jeremy Gaspar who passed away in 2017. She is also survived by 4 great-grandchildren, Harris Chinnaraj, Olivia Chinnaraj, Aria Gaspar and Gianna D’Amico.

Our parents will always remain in our hearts. For them, family was the most important thing above all else. They were amazing parents providing support and love. Pauline could always be counted on to provide unconditional love. She was not only loving to her own children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she also showed the same affection to the many other children she helped care for. It was just like our Mom to put her family first, even in death. It seemed as if she was waiting for Christmas, to celebrate with us before passing. We thought it no strange coincidence that she passed from this life on the Catholic day of the Feast of the Holy Family.

As we go through this season of mourning, Heavenly Father, we ask you to give us the peace that surpasses all understanding. Father, we rest knowing that your faithful servant is rejoicing in your kingdom. We thank you for loving her so much that you saw it fit to take her back home where we truly belong. We pray that Pauline is looking down and watching over us from heaven. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Frederick Health Hospice, or the American Heart Association.