PAULETTE CROWTHER

CROWTHER--Paulette Isabel 53, vivacious and devoted mother, sister, daughter, partner and friend, landscape designer and public relations director, passed away at her home in New York on April 5, 2010, in the arms of her loved ones, after a two-year battle with cancer. Born in 1956 to John and Ginette Crowther, Paulette spent her formative years in Montclair, NJ, as the eldest girl and second of seven children. She spent her summers in Westhampton and Rhode Island, where she cultivated her love of nature and passion for the ocean. She graduated from Barnard College in 1978 with a B.A. in English Literature. The artistic and cultural vibrancy of New York City immediately captured her; she lived there the rest of her life. She applied her gifts for language and communication to a career in public relations and graphic design at Rockefeller University, the YWCA and Cardozo Law School. In 1983, Paulette married Carlos Almada, with whom she had three children, Justine, Tristan, and Camille. She nurtured them selflessly, ensuring that they were enriched by fine education, joy and boundless love. They always will be inspired by her kindness, curiosity and lust for life, no matter the circumstance. She enjoyed many wonderful years with her fiance, Bill Wunder, who shared her passions for nature, cooking, music and travel. Her wanderlust led her to many exotic lands, where she indulged her fascination with history, culture and natural beauty. Paulette was diagnosed with advanced cancer in March 2008. Graced with incredible tenacity in the face of extreme adversity, she endured months of arduous treatments while retaining her signature smile, flare and zeal. During the last year of her life, she fulfilled a longtime dream and enrolled in the Master of Science in Landscape Design program at Columbia University. She immersed herself in her projects, often studying into the night, even while working full-time, adhering to a disciplined regimen of exercise, healthful eating and meditation, and never missing a beat as a stellar mother and committed friend. Our lives are and will always be enriched by Paulette's bright light.