Pauline Langwell

1923 - 2010

Pauline Langwell
Pauline Dixie Langwell, 87, of Santa Maria passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving night at Marian Medical Center after a brief illness.
Born March 12, 1923 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the fourth child of six Howards, Pauline from age 9 was raised by her grandmother after her natural mother died following childbirth.
Pauline moved to California in the early 1940s with her late husband, Emmett, when he went to work at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard during World War II. They lived in San Francisco and Daly City before retiring to Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1981, then to the Central Coast in 1986. They lived in Nipomo when there was no Vons or McDonalds.
During her working years in the 1960s and 1970s, Pauline rose from file clerk to supervisor/manager of the Touring Bureau at California State Automobile Association offices in San Francisco. She loved her years at CSAA and was well thought of by colleagues and made many friends.
Known for her unique - and sometimes outrageous - sense of humor, Pauline made friends like bees to honey at every stage of her life. She also was known, particularly among family, for her generosity, love and support during difficult times.
In Nipomo (1986-2002) then in Santa Maria, she pursued hobbies of reading mystery novels; acing crossword puzzles; keeping abreast of celebrity news via tabloid The Globe; playing Bingo at the Senior Center; playing poker with a circle of like-minded men and women card-aficionados; enjoying her years with the Santa Maria Valley Women's Club; trying her luck every few months at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez (regularly coming home a winner), cooking her special Southern-style cornbread dressing (a recipe that - having been prepared by her in early November and then put in the freezer - was, indeed, served Thanksgiving 2010 at her daughter's home), and making sure her TV was tuned-in every week to episodes of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," after each of which she would call her daughter to compare reactions.
Pauline is survived by her daughter, Bonnie Kay Sullivan (Patrick) of Nipomo; daughter-in-law Joan O'Connor (nee Langwell) (David) of Forest Knolls, Ca; grandchildren Shawn Langwell of Petaluma, Ca, Kelly Langwell (Debbie) of Gualala, Ca, Sheila Sullivan of San Francisco, and Michael Sullivan (Jeannette) of Berlin, Germany; great-grandchildren Andrew Langwell, Spencer Langwell, Lauren Harrigan-Huesler and James Marco Barron of the S.F. Bay Area and Tyler Langwell of Big Sur, Ca; brother Gene Howard (Janie) of Pasadena, Texas; nieces Guanda Dusette (Larry) of Oxnard, Ca, and Lynn Martin (John) of Harrisonburg, Va; nephews Jack Howard (Jan) of League City, Texas, and John Drew Howard of Pasadena, Texas: and friends and neighbors in the Park Avenue East complex in Santa Maria, especially close pal Leo Londr`ee.
Pauline was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Emmett (1996); son Jimmy Wayne Langwell (Christine) (2006); brother Jack Howard (1985); sister in law Catherine (Ruth) Howard (2009), and grandson Seth Langwell (1999).
No services are planned. A family gathering will be held in Spring 2011 to remember Pauline. In her final hours she expressed a particular wish to her daughter, Bonnie: "For my obituary find a picture from when I was 16." The photo above is from three years after that, when she was 19. Best we could do. Rest in peace.