Paula Reigh Boothby

On Sunday evening, September 21, 2025, Paula Reigh Boothby, age 87, peacefully transitioned from this oftentimes troubled world to her new and much more tranquil heavenly home. During the past year and a half, Paula was a resident of The Arboretum, the memory care facility at Heritage Greens in Greensboro, NC.

Paula, the first child of Dr. Paul R. Boothby and Dixie Reigh Summers Boothby, was born on January 20, 1938, in Oklahoma City, OK. At the time of her birth, her father was pursuing his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma. Following the completion of her father's medical program, the Boothby family moved to Lawrence, Michigan, where "Dr. Paul" established a family medical practice.

Paula attended the public schools in Lawrence and was able to skip her 12th-grade year and, instead, enrolled as a freshman at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. She transferred to Kalamazoo College for her senior year and graduated in 1959 with a double major in history and music with minors in music theory, piano, and English.

With a bachelor's degree in hand, Paula moved to California to pursue certification as an elementary school teacher. She completed Claremont Graduate School's Elementary Education Internship Program while serving as an intern in an elementary school in Arcadia, California. It was in California that Paula met and married Albert Muhic, and she adopted Albert's daughter, Myrna. Paula, then, moved back to Michigan, where her son Cameron was born. While teaching in Van Buren County, she was also able to complete a master's degree in social studies education (1963) at Western Michigan University.

After 10+ years of teaching in California and Michigan, Paula was hired as an elementary teacher at The American School in London, and, with her son Cameron in tow, they ventured "across the pond" to experience life in England. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, occasional weekends and holidays provided opportunities to explore much of England, Scotland, Ireland, and many other countries of Western Europe. That two-year-long experience abroad was to have a significant influence on Paula's life.

After Paula's exceptional and varied experiences at the innovative and very diverse school in London, she returned to the States and began exploring additional graduate coursework in her field. After considering several options, she chose the University of North Dakota, where Vito Perrone was the dean and a world-recognized leader in the field of teaching and learning, and Larry Harris, an accomplished reading educator, served as her dissertation chair. A graduate teaching assistantship helped pay the bills, and she received her doctorate in 1975 with concentrations in reading/language arts and gifted education.

Paula's first position following the completion of her doctorate was at the University of Texas, San Antonio (1975-78), where she was among the first cohort hired to develop and offer programs in teacher education at this newly established university. During her time at UTSA, Paula also served as a consultant with several day care centers in the area and with two predominantly Hispanic school districts south of San Antonio.

An interest in returning to the Midwest led to a successful application for a teaching position at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). At UNI (1978-1984), Paula held a unique joint appointment as an elementary teacher in the on-campus Malcolm Price Laboratory School and as a tenured associate professor in the Department of Teaching. While she spent most of her time teaching fourth-grade students in the Lab School, Paula also supervised undergraduate students who were assigned to observe in her classroom, and she mentored one student teacher each semester in her class. In addition, she taught one or two courses each academic year for students enrolled in UNI's undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. Her undergraduate courses tended to focus on reading, language arts and children's literature, and her graduate courses were usually focused on gifted education.

It was at UNI that she met her future husband, Ernest K. (Ernie) Dishner, who joined the UNI faculty as a department head in 1979. In the spring of 1984, Ernie was selected as dean of the School of Education at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), and Paula was hired as an associate professor and department chair at Texas Lutheran College (1984-1990) in Seguin, Texas. On March 31, 1984, just before their move to Texas, Paula and Ernie were married in the historic St. Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown Paw Paw, Michigan, an event witnessed by many members of the Boothby clan.

When Ernie was selected as a professor and administrator at Penn State Harrisburg, Paula was able to secure a faculty position at Elizabethtown College (1990-2003) in Lancaster County, PA. In January of 2007, Paula and Ernie, both now retired, packed up all their belongings and headed to a warmer climate, settling in Greensboro, NC.

Paula worked very hard as a professional educator, teaching elementary students; teaching and advising undergraduates who were preparing to be teachers; and, occasionally, teaching certified teachers enrolled in graduate programs. Over the years, she published in a wide variety of professional journals; conducted research; presented papers at professional conferences; actively participated in professional organizations at the local, state, national, and international levels; served as a consultant for many public and private preschools and K-12 schools, and regularly participated in a host of department and college level service activities that are expected of full-time faculty members. But Paula's life was so much more than her work as a professional educator.

Paula was a very kind, caring, and loving person. She loved her family, her friends, her church, and most four-legged creatures. She was especially drawn to children, to young adults, and to the elderly. As an elementary teacher and as a college professor, she truly enjoyed the daily interactions with her students. She made a special effort to show her many grandchildren, nephews, and nieces how important they were to her. She loved her mother dearly, and both Paula and Ernie were delighted to have "Toots" spend much of her winters with them in Texas and in Pennsylvania.

Shortly after arriving in London, Paula developed an interest in the Church of England and began attending a local Anglican church. In her first move after the completion of her doctorate, she was confirmed at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in San Antonio in November 1976. After Paula and Ernie settled on St. Andrew's Episcopal Church as their new church home in North Carolina, Paula was reconfirmed in January of 2008 by The Right Reverend Michael B. Curry, who was at the time the Bishop of North Carolina. Paula was an active member of the St. Andrew's community for approximately 10 years. At various times, she served as a member of the Endowment Committee, was a greeter on Sunday mornings, spent many hours on church fundraising activities, and was a regular participant in Bible Study classes. For many years, she also helped deliver food to shut-ins through a program that originated at St. Andrew's but was later operated by The Servant Center and is now a major component of the Community Support & Nutrition Program, one of several programs that make up the non-profit One Step Further.

Paula was a reader from an early age. As a very young child, she often travelled with her father, with one or more books in hand as he made house calls in southwestern Michigan. While Dr. Paul attended to his patients' needs, Paula would wait and read in the car or, in times of colder weather, would be invited to sit in a comfortable chair in the family's living room. As an adult, Paula's reading preferences turned to mysteries, especially those by British authors like Agatha Cristie, Dorothy Sayers, P.D. James, and Authur Conan Doyle, and, later, works of more contemporary authors like Louise Penny, Alexander McCall Smith, and Martha Grimes.

Her television preferences included British comedies such as "As Time Goes By," "Keeping Up Appearances," "Are You Being Served," and, more recently, "Doc Martin." And, of course, she also sought out British mysteries like "Midsomer Murders," "Miss Marple," Death in Paradise," and "Grantchester." For her, Saturday night television on the local PBS station was the place to be. Paula's musical tastes tended toward classical music. She loved Christman music and could not resist classic Christmas concerts performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or by the several different concerts from Great Britian that would air on PBS.

Paula loved fresh Michigan strawberries, although she later had to admit that Greensboro's own Rudd Farm strawberries were the best she had ever eaten. She was partial to dark chocolate and almost any flavor of ice cream, and a special treat for her was a slice of fresh strawberry rhubarb pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Her favorite meal was her own "to die for" beef brisket with mashed potatoes and, when possible, fresh Michigan asparagus.

Paula's love of animals began with various family pets, primarily dogs, and, as a teenager, her parents gave her a horse that she named Peter Pan. While she was working on her teacher certification program in southern California, she was able to pick up some extra spending money by exercising horses on the weekends at the horse stables located at the nearby Santa Anita Race Track.

Long before she had even thought of living and working in England, Paula owned and read many books on Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal family. Once in England, she became even more enamored with the Queen and, especially, with the Queen's Royal corgis, and, once she returned to the U.S., she looked for the opportune time to purchase her first corgi pup, Molly. Over the course of their 41 years of marriage, Paula and Ernie were royally entertained by Jack, followed by Max, then Toby and, finally, Molly, the 2nd. Thanks to the friendships with and work of two excellent dog trainers/handlers, one in Pennsylvania and the other in North Carolina, Paula's last few years of teaching and most of her retirement years centered around her dogs and many other "dog moms." While it was obvious that her corgis were her favorites, we cannot forget to mention her two ocicats, Myka and Ozy, who provided Paula much pleasure and comfort in retirement.

Paula was a classy lady, and classy ladies often can be recognized by the classy cars they drive. Paula was no exception. While she could not afford a Rolls-Royce, she chose the next best thing. Shortly before her retirement, Paula purchased a new bright red 2003 MINI Cooper, harkening back to her days in England three decades earlier when she maneuvered through London streets in an old used yellow classic Mini. Her new MINI was just the perfect carriage in which to transport her royal corgis to dog training classes and to dog competitions!

Paula lived a full life, and, along the way, she touched the hearts of so many people. She was a lovely lady, and she will be sorely missed.

Paula was preceded in death by her mother and father and by her brother Marlen Gail Boothby. She is survived by her husband, Ernie Dishner of Greensboro; son, Paul Cameron Reigh Muhic of North St. Paul, Minnesota; adopted daughter, Myrna Reigh Muhic of Riverside, California; sister Tonda Boothby (Tom Shoemaker) of Paw Paw, Michigan; sister-in-law Nancy Boothby of Paw Paw, Michigan; step-daughter Amy Elizabeth Dishner Martin (Brian) of Bel Air, Maryland; step-daughter Bethany Hope Dishner of Havre de Grace, Maryland; and grandchildren, Cassandra D'Agostino (John) of Jarrettsville, Maryland; Bejamin Struve (Rachel) of Anchorage, Alaska; Jackson Struve (Jamie) of Street, Maryland; Luke Martin of Bel Air, Maryland; Paul Lopez (Sara) of Tustin, California; Michael Lopez (Jill) of Lake Elsinora, California; Christina Wilson (Steve) of Corona, California; and nine great grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews.

A service celebrating Paula's life will be held on Monday, October 27, 2025, at 11:00 am in the chapel at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 2105 W. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27403.

Paula's family is very grateful for the assistance of several fantastic caregivers who provided outstanding support during the past several years. First, our thanks to Avius Moore who, as a home caregiver, provided exceptional assistance to Paula and her husband for approximately 16 months. And we cannot say enough good things about the quality of the support Paula received while living at Heritage Greens. From the leadership team to the many caregivers who took such great care of Paula, we extend our heartfelt thanks for the remarkable work you do every day. As an old friend said recently, "caregivers are God's angels on earth." Paula felt your love, and you saw, as she freely tried to share her hugs and kisses, how much she truly appreciated your support.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Paula's memory may be made to the Endowment Fund at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Greensboro, NC; the Associate Appreciation Fund, Heritage Greens Senior Living, 801 Meadowood St., Greensboro, NC 27409; the Community Support and Nutrition Program at One Step Further, 623 Eugene Court, Greensboro, NC 27401; or to another worthy organization of your choice.