Barbara Gertrude Paull

Mom was born on June 28, 1924 in Hollywood, California. She moved to Norfolk, Nebraska and lived there through the 8th grade and moved to North Platte, Nebraska. She graduated from North Platte High School in 1942. She was a member of the orchestra in high school. She also was the queen in Job's Daughters, which is a Masonic affiliated organization for young women. She went to Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska for two years and majored in music where she played the cello. Mom married our dad in 1945 in San Diego. He served in the Navy during the war and mom worked at North Island with the officers where she was a teletypist. They purchased their house in Pacific Beach in 1947. Dad and mom opened Don Paull Plumbing and Heating Co. in Pacific Beach at 4284 Cass St. in 1951 where they served the beach areas, Clairemont, etc. for 35 years.

Mom and dad worked as a team during this entire time. They ran a very successful small plumbing business. Each one had their positive attributes that contributed to their success and each deserve equal credit. Mom basically was responsible for the inside of the shop and dad for the outside.

Mom and dad spent most of their outside working hours as leaders in the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors association, PHCC. Mom served all the offices in the San Diego women's PHCC auxiliary and later became California President of the Women's Auxiliary. Dad served all the offices in the San Diego, the State and became National President in 1980. Once again, they worked as a team to accomplish their success. When we accepted the North Platte High School Distinguished Award for our dad posthumously, we said, “Mom could have received the award herself as she strongly worked with our dad in all their success.”

They were involved in community activities besides PHCC. Dad joined Toastmasters in Pacific Beach, whose main goal is public speaking. Women could not join Toastmasters since this took place before Title IX which equalized rights for women. However, women had an organization called Toastmistresses, which mom joined. Mom was also a member of PEO and Eastern Star.

When mom and dad retired, they moved to the Casa de Manana in La Jolla. They lived there for eight and a half years with mom serving as the treasurer for seven and a half years for the resident organization. During that time, she changed the entire accounting system to a computer based system. Mom was excellent at bookkeeping which which was one of her responsibilities in the plumbing business and loved technology. She got her first computer, a Kaypro, in the 1980's and purchased an iPad about 12 years ago, and a iPhone about 6 years. She would spend hours each day using the computer. They then moved to Wesley Palms where she served as treasurer for one year. She lived in a 2 bedroom cottage, number 58, with one of the best views at the site.

Mom and dad loved to travel. Mom has been in most of the states including Hawaii and Nebraska a number of times. While mom and dad were still working in the plumbing business, they were one of 25 American plumbing contractors chosen by the People to People Program to meet with the top plumbing industry leaders in China and Russia. She traveled on all the Viking Tour boats in Europe and on the Holland America ships to Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean, etc.

Mom's hobby and escape was working in the yard as a young person and with her plants only when she was living at the Casa de Manana and Wesley Palms for over 20 years. When she was days before passing she said, “You won't have to water my plants anymore,” and I responded that we are going to keep the plants living in my brother and my yards. I know that made her happy. Also, she always exercised and could be seen in the gym working out. She stayed in good shape.

Mom had a strong love for our dachshund dogs, which we have had for many years. You may remember her black and brown doxie, Husker, that she was with a lot up until 2 years ago when she passed. He was our best friend.

Surviving members include son, Dr. Ben Paull, Tom Paull and his wife Phoebe and daughter Sydney, a cousin 103 years old, Mary Spallino, who lives in Lake Forest and numerous nieces and nephews.