Paula F. Hand

Thank you all for your kind words in this most difficult of times. It comforts me greatly that I was not alone in appreciating Paula. After all, I was her greatest fan. She was and continues to be a model and inspiration for me.

We met in music school, Keene State College in Keene New Hampshire, and hit it off immediately. We are both pianists. She was granted a full scholarship. She went on to teach music in public school in Fairfax and Loudon Counties in Virginia, and in Boulder County in Colorado. She taught piano privately as well. Music was a shared and singular joy in our lives. She was loved by her students; I have the best-wishes cards written in crayon to prove it.

Paula freely gave of her time and her heart. She was surrounded by friends whom she treasured.

She was passionate about helping others. Since she was adopted, she had a special appreciation for mothers in trouble. She had a passion for helping the pregnant mothers who are in trouble and for protecting the life of the innocents. She helped many a mother through their tough times. She volunteered for several organizations including 40 Days for Life. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to 40 Days for Life. http://www.40daysforlife.com

I hoped for a miracle till the end. There had been so many close calls, so many times in the past where we found a way, sometimes out of the normal treatments, to carry on. But, as I came to realize, it was a miracle that she was able to live twenty-five years with her autoimmune hepatitis and have two healthy children despite being told by doctors that it was impossible. In the end, the medicine that sustained her, sealed her fate, gave her the cancer for which the treatment killed her.

When it became clear that recovery was a long shot and she went into hospice care, she never complained or railed at God. She accepted her condition and made the best of it. Even though the tumors were gone and her autoimmune disease was at bay, her liver simply had had enough.

She moved on to her reward very peacefully, painlessly, this last Friday, January 3rd, at 8:30 PM. My best friend and the center of my life, is gone. My heart is broken.

For those that wish to celebrate her life, there is to be a wake/rosary from 6 PM to 8 PM, with vigil at 7:30 PM this Thursday the 9th. The funeral mass is to be at 11 AM Friday the 10th with the interment followed by a celebration of life reception at 1:30 PM. Kayla (17), Colin (12), myself, and our extended families would appreciate seeing you there.

The wake, mass, and reception are to be at St. John Vianney Catholic Church.

http://www.sjvroundrock.org

Paula is to be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery & Prayer Gardens.

http://www.olotr.com

For those of you that wish to attend in person but do not live in the area, contact me at [email protected]. I can make a travel agent available to you.

To share memories of Paula with her family, please visit www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com