Pauline Sargent

Pauline Sargent 1912 - 2011 Our mom, Pauline Sargent was born on January 28, 1912, and passed away peacefully July 15, 2011, a few months shy of her hundredth birthday. She was born in Pozo, California, one of nine children that graced the lives of Joel and Elsie Hubble, early settlers in that area. From 1919 to 1922, the family lived on an isolated homestead in the Carrizo Plains and, during those years, she and several of her brothers and sisters traveled seven or eight miles on horseback each day to attend school in Simmler. Her parents later moved to Santa Maria where she attended Santa Maria High School. In 1930, she married Earl Kirkland, who worked all his adult live on and around oil drilling rigs. Since he was obliged to go wherever the next hole was to be drilled, the years that followed found us on an oilfield odyssey, moving from oil town to oil town all over central and southern California. The family finally settled in Bakersfield in 1941. In 1955, our dad took a job as a drilling superintendent with Royal Dutch Shell in Venezuela. In 1957, at age 466, he died suddenly of a heart attack and our mom returned to Bakersfield. In 1967, she married Earl Sargent, long time teacher and coach at Bakersfield High School and Bakersfield College. They had been married for forty-one years at the time of Sarge's death in 2008. He was 96. Mom managed to outlive all her brothers and sisters and two husbands. She was also preceded in death by two of her sons, Tom and Al Kirkland. She is survived by sons Ted Kirkland and his wife, Darlene; Jerry Kirkland and his wife, Janeall; Tom's wife Lee Kirkland; Al's wife Sylvia Kirkland; step-daughters Kay Acosta and Ruth Saldubehere; grandchildren Robyn Turner, Debbie Doremus, Sandi Kallenberger, Cathy Blackmon, Ted Kirkland, Jr., Leslee Joseph, Melanie Kirkland, Kelle Hanneman and John Kirkland plus a host of great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren. For the past three years, mom has been a resident of Pacifica Senior Living in Bakersfield and we are most appreciative of the quality care provided by the entire staff at that facility. We extend our thanks and gratitude also to Hoffman Hospice for their superb service and the loving care provided by Hoffman nurses Colleen Alvarez, Laura Burns and Desiree Harter, compassionate professionals who skillfully smoothed the way as mom completed the final leg of her journey. No services. Hillcrest Memorial Park & Mortuary www.bakersfield.com/obits