Obituary of Paula Mae Johnson

None Paula Mae (Moeckel) Johnson was born on January 23, 1947, at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Washington, to Wilfred (Bill) Lawrence and Pauline Moeckel. Three years later, sister Audrey joined the family. The Moeckel family lived in Spokane in three different houses on Broad Avenue, Rowan Avenue, and Fleming Street. As a child and teenager, Paula was very creative artistically, loved to read, was an excellent seamstress, became proficient at playing the accordion, rode horses with a passion at the family farm in the Sprague-Edwall area of eastern Washington, and enjoyed many summers at Priest Lake, Idaho, swimming and water-skiing. The family also remembers the annual summer vacations to various destinations – Audrey and Paula sat in the back seat on plastic seat covers and usually had numerous discussions on the location of the exact middle of the back seat. Paula actively participated in many school events. In high school, she was a member of the Hi-Lassies marching unit at Shadle Park High School, served in many clubs, and played on the girls’ golf team. After graduating from high school in 1965, she attended Washington State University where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. In 1969, she received her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education and speech therapy. She later earned a master’s degree in business administration. Paula lived in many places during the next 18 years since her first husband was in the Air Force. They called many cities home – Pullman, Washington; Rome, New York; San Antonio, Texas; Falls Church, Virginia; Schrollbach and Landstuhl, Germany; and Rockville, Maryland. During this time period, Paula decided to change her career direction from speech therapy to the emerging field of information technology. In 1985, Paula moved to Seattle to be closer to her family in Washington State. She met Don Johnson in 1987 and they married on February 25, 1989 and lived in Bothell, Washington. They built a custom home that they both enjoyed. Paula loved to garden and could never buy enough plants. She also encouraged birds and squirrels to visit the yard. She enjoyed reading, going to movies, traveling, shopping and antiquing with her sister and mother, visiting her family in Olympia, and entertaining friends. Paula worked for Wang Laboratories in the mid-1980s as a training and sales manager. She held similar positions at GTE and TCSI Corporation. She worked most recently as a technical editor for Entirenet, a Microsoft contractor. Husband Don remembers Paula fondly as the most wonderful woman. Don could name many words to describe Paula – some of them include smart, attractive, resourceful, disciplined, organized, understanding, and loving. The best years of Don’s life were those spent with Paula. They were soul mates, life partners, traveling companions, and best friends. They both worked hard, but enjoyed playing and dreaming about all of the things they had planned for the future. Bill and Pauline, Paula’s parents, remember her childhood fondly. She had black curly hair and big blue eyes. She was the first grandchild and niece and was doted over by her relatives. Her love of animals always dominated her life. The family made many weekend trips to the family farm where she could play with cows, horses, dogs, and many kittens and cats. Through her life, she always had a cat or dog at her side. Her parents were justifiably proud of Paula and the woman she became. Sister Audrey was especially close to Paula. They were best friends and shared many of the same interests. Paula and Audrey loved to travel together when they could find time, shopped together at every occasion, talked about everything there was to talk about, and searched for antiques at every antique store that they could find. Audrey spent every weekend with Paula during the past year and cared for her, along with her husband, in their Bothell home for the last several months of her life. Paula and Audrey affectionately called each other “Sister” rather than their given names. Her close family will always remember Paula. Her husband is Donald R. Johnson of Bothell, Washington; parents are Wilfred (Bill) Lawrence and Pauline Moeckel, Lacey, Washington; sister and brother-in-law are Audrey and Steve Frisch of Olympia, Washington; two cousins, Kathi Reiha of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Jim Reiha of Simi Valley, California; and an uncle, Clair Reiha of Spokane, known as Uncle Pinky. Paula will also be remembered by Catherine Johnson and Judy Boysen, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, both of Hudson, Wisconsin. We will all miss you, Paula. A private family service will be held on May 7 in Olympia. (The family suggests that contributions be made to The Group Health Community Foundation, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1500, Seattle, Washington 98101, or a favorite charity.) Please leave memories and condolences in our guest book by clicking on the "View Guestbook" link below.