Paula Jean McPhail

Paula Jean McPhail passed away on Monday, June 17th from a long illness associated with heart and lung disease. She died of a heart attack at home in Atlanta, Georgia, in her beautiful backyard where her brother Charles, had built her a cardinal and blue bird sanctuary. She will be deeply missed by Charlie, her dog, and will meet him one day at the Rainbow Bridge.
Paula was born to Harry and Bernice McPhail (deceased) in Pontiac, Michigan on December 9, 1957. She was the deeply loved sister of fellow siblings Earl (deceased) Beldon, Para, Harry (Yoots), Andre, Charles, Fabienne and Susan; her best friend and constant companion. She loved her brothers and sisters-in-law so much. Paula was deeply loved by over 20 nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews. She had a special relationship with her niece McKenzie as well as with her beloved niece Carmen, daughter of Charles, she shared a heartfelt connection to both. Paula spoke to Carmen (bossed her around basically almost every day.
Paula was the ferociously proud mother of Meagan, who attended Hampton University and graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Paula worked tirelessly to make ends meet so that her daughter could complete her undergraduate and graduate education. Megan went on and completed a Master's Degree of Science in Human Resource Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Paula loved that her daughter became a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Paula began a lifetime journey with Zach Brown, on June 19th, 2004. Zach, a former U.S. Marine, had three children, Andrew (deceased), Stephanie, and Derrick. Paula became a stepmother to them and loved them as her own. She and Zach quickly became a blended family of four children. Paula adored being the grandmother of Andrew, Maya, Josh, DeAnthony and DaMonty. Paula and Zach shared many good times in the twenty years they were together. Thomas, Zach's nephew who is like a brother, was also close to Paula and her family. She loved Thomas very much. Paula was employed by Kaiser Permanente for 27 years. She was a faithful and loyal employee and loved working there. She was very well respected by physicians, nurses and the like. Everyone seemed to know her and enjoy a good laugh with her.
Most of all, she was an amazing Baker and loved cooking for family on the holidays. Her favorite "thing" was to read and study recipes and share them on FaceBook. Paula especially loved her Aunt Inez's "top secret" recipes and held them close to her vest. Baking delicious cakes from scratch was her signature. Family favorites were German Chocolate, Chocolate Velvet Cake and Southern Pound Cakes. A traditional Thanksgiving was Paula's all-time favorite holiday. In fact, Paula insisted that her sister Sue cook a Southern style Thanksgiving meal often (upon request which was typically outside of the holidays.
Paula was a kind and beautiful soul. She loved her family more than anything - and a good family BBQ was her joy.
A private celebration of Paula's life will be held in Georgia during the summer and then in California in September 2024.