Paula Vickers Petrie

INDIAN WELLS, CA - Petrie, Paula Vickers, 83, also of Colorado Springs, CO, passed away on Thursday, June 24 2010. She was born in Wichita in 1926 to John Aldrid Vickers of Lowell, KS and Helen Elizabeth Brown Vickers of Chicago, IL. One of eight children, Paula grew up in the family estate, Vickridge, which was later donated to the Catholic diocese as a convent and is now the home to Kapaun, Mt. Carmel Catholic High School. Her father, J.A. Vickers, founded Vickers Petroleum Company in 1918, and it continued to be run by the family until 1968. That legacy allowed Paula to be active with various charities; one of her favorite was the Junior League of Wichita. After high school, she went to Miss Hockaday's School for Young Ladies in Dallas, TX and then in 1946 she entered the University of Colorado, pledging Pi Beta Phi. In 1949, she married Jack Petrie of Wichita and together they had three children, Kevin, Karen, and Carol. Paula was an accomplished golfer, a Kansas State Bridge Champion, a gracious hostess, and generally convivial lady. She is survived by her two daughters; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Four of her siblings remain: J.A. Vickers III of Castle Pines, CO, James Vickers of Indian Wells, CA, Byrne Vickers of Wichita, and Patricia Sinclair of Oklahoma City, OK. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, July 7, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Castle Rock, CO.