Paula Sheree Stites

Paula Sheree Stites was born in Hanford, California on November 4, 1956, to Betty and Raymond Stites. She was the second of (what would eventually be) five siblings and the youngest girl. Paula was very proud of her parents and cherished her siblings. As a child, Paula had platinum blond hair and big blue eyes and was affectionately called “Pretty Paula” by her family. She spent her formative years growing up in Kings County. She was baptized in the Armona Methodist Church. She attended Armona Elementary School from kindergarten to fifth grade. Paula was also very active in Girl Scouts in school. Paula comes from a very large extended family. When she was a small child, her parents bought the house next-door to an aunt and uncle of hers. She treasured being surrounded by her relatives. She had tremendous love and admiration for her aunts and uncles, and her cousins were some of her closest friends.

As her father’s career progressed, each new promotion brought about new transfers, requiring the family to relocate, taking Paula on many journeys through new places and shaping her life with new experiences. Paula attended middle school in Fremont, CA. Her family then moved to Bothel, Washington, where Paula attended high school. While in high school, she simultaneously pursued training in cosmetology school, and also as a nursing assistant. All the additional units allowed Paula to graduate from high school early. This noteworthy achievement remained a very proud accomplishment for her throughout her life. Although Paula never worked as a cosmetologist, she was always the go-to person to cut friends and family members’ hair.

After graduation, Paula left her family and moved back to California. She lived in both Hanford and Berkeley. In 1975, she gave birth to her daughter, Betty Jo McCarty, who she named after her mother (something she told her mother she would honor her with her entire life, hoping that her daughter would inherit the class and grace she always admired in her mother). Shortly after giving birth, she moved back to be with her family, who were now in Tempe, Arizona. This was a pivotal time in her life, as it marked the beginning of her professional career. Having always looked up to her father, who worked in the dairy industry, Paula took great pride in following the path he had forged. Their close bond made this accomplishment especially meaningful to her. She began working for the Safeway Milk Plant in Tempe, working in ice cream production. From there, she transferred to Safeway Produce distribution in Landover, Maryland, and then to Lucky’s Produce Distribution in San Leandro, California. Paula was a trailblazer, being one of the few women to work in a male dominated industry in the 1970s and 1980s. Paula was very proud to be a Teamster and found fulfillment in the work that she did.

In Maryland, Paula met and married Chuck Dodgson and gave birth to her son Ernest Paul Dodgson in 1979. Paula and Chuck’s marriage only lasted a few years, but they stayed friends for more than 4 decades. Later, Chuck went on to remarry, and Paula considered his new wife, Jenny, to be a close friend for more than the last 35 years.

After her father moved back to Hanford as the Plant Manager for the Safeway Lucerne Milk Plant, Paula moved back to be near her family also. She stayed in Hanford for a couple years and then went back to work at the Safeway Milk Plant in Tempe. In 1987, Paula returned to Hanford for good. She eventually went on to work for Leprino Foods Cheese Plant, for the next 20 years, retiring from there in 2009.

When Paula’s first granddaughter was born in 1995, she took on a new identity as Nanny Paula. She wasn’t just Nanny Paula to her grandchildren, but she became to Nanny Paula to any child who needed her. Spoiling her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her some of the most joy in her life.

Paula was an avid reader. She could read anything but was especially fond of being a connoisseur of Harlequin romances. She loved grocery shopping, cooking, and eating good food. She also loved to eat out. Pismo Beach was one of her favorite places. She loved hanging out with her parents, siblings, and cousins there. She also loved going fishing and craw-dadding with her dad. In her vibrant years, she relished spending time with her beloved siblings and cousins by socializing, laughing, and making memories. Paula was creative; she could sew, knit, and crochet. She loved antiques and was a huge admirer of Native American art. If her family couldn’t find her, they knew she was probably gambling, something that she loved to do! Another one of her favorite pass-times was thrifting with her sister, cousins, or granddaughters.

Paula was fun, mischievous, and daring. She could be known to fight with the ones she loved, but even more fiercely to fight for the ones she loved. She was strong, she was brave, and she was giving.

Paula could also be wonderfully stubborn and was never one to keep her opinions entirely to herself. While she might not always tell someone directly how she felt, she made sure everyone else knew. Nothing brought her greater joy than talking about the people she loved. She often spoke of her daughter's accomplishments, sharing with anyone in public who would listen that she was a doctor and how proud she was of her. She was equally grateful for her son-in-law, often declaring that there was no better husband or son-in-law in the world. Paula shared a special bond with her son and felt deeply connected to him, no matter what. He was always in her thoughts, no matter the distance or circumstances. She adored her three granddaughters and would share how they were, in her eyes, the most beautiful women in the world. Paula was proud of her grandson-in-law and always saw him as a strong protector. Paula thought her three great-grandchildren were pure love in human form. More than anything else, Paula's heart belonged to her family.

After a brave three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, Paula was called to heaven at 426 PM on Friday, October 9. She passed on in peace and was surrounded by love.

Paula was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Betty Stites, and her niece, Natalie Sheree Stites.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Betty Jo (McCarty) McVay and Michael McVay; her son, Ernest Paul Dodgson; her granddaughter, Ashlyn Rayanne Welsh; her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, Krista Madeline Partlow and Benjamin Partlow; her granddaughter, Anastyn Rachelle McVay; her great-granddaughter, Braylen Rose Minter; her great-grandson, Dawsyn Lee Minter; her great-granddaughter, Rylinn Layne Fagundes; her sister, Sally Stites; her brother and sister-in-law, Raymond (Joe) and Jennifer Stites; her brother and sister-in-law, Randal and Mary Stites; her brother and sister-in-law, David and Dawn Stites; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins; along with her adored dog, Mia.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and office staff at UCSF, CCARE Cancer Center, Adventist Health, Adventist Health Hospice, and Dr John Gavini, along with Sharon McCarty for the wonderful and compassionate care they delivered during Paula’s final days on earth.

The family would like to open an invitation to those who loved Paula to join them in her Celebration of Life at Grangeville Cemetery on Saturday, November 7 at 10:00 am.