Catherine H. Paul was born Catherine Theresa Hawkins on June 13th, 1920 in Sebring, Ohio. Her father was Arthur Edwin Hawkins from Iowa and her mother Mary Ann McCauley, Scotland.
Catherine was the youngest of 7 children all of her older siblings were boys; and I can only imagine that she was not only the apple of her mother and father's eyes but she was looked out for by her older brothers.
She was a child of the depression; Catherine's father was a cement contractor, the family was not well off and she told stories of people bringing food to their house. Catherine's mother, Mary Ann, was a devout Catholic and all of the children were raised in the Catholic Church. She would go to church weekly and when she was old enough would ring the Church bells. As Catherine got older she worked in the ticket booth of the local cinema, movies were a nickel; there was a young man that she would let sneak into the theatre because his family was poor and he could not afford a ticket. Her mother would walk her home at the end of the night.
After graduating from Sebring High School, Catherine attended Mercy School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her RN, and then joined the Navy at the beginning of WWII. It was during this time that Catherine met Charles Paul, who was a Navy fighter pilot, on a blind date. Catherine and Charles were married shortly thereafter. Charles was later sent to the South Pacific where he would stay until the end of the war.
Catherine had 5 children, Mary Catherine, Kathy Ann, Chuck, Mark and James. Aside from raising a family Catherine helped Charles in not only the hotel business but in the restaurant business as well. She was a hard worker and an equally tough task master. She was an old-fashioned no nonsense mother who could either put you in your place with a wooden spoon or a reprimand. When Catherine and Charles operated the Steak and Ale on 17/92 in Maitland, she even foiled an attempted robbery by refusing to take the gunman to the safe, stopping him in his tracks by saying, "what would your mother think of you?"
Catherine was widowed in 1973 and never remarried. She said there was only 1 Charles. For 20 years she was a pink lady at Mercy Hospital in Pine Hills. Catherine also had a penchant for helping elderly people and saw more than a few during their final years.
Later in life Catherine became a fixture walking Park Ave. in Winter Park with her Visiting Angel aides. She lived alone until she was 95.
Catherine was a strong woman who lived through both hard and good times. She overcame many obstacles in her life and quit smoking after nearly 50 years! She remained a devout Catholic and would often say, "It's a great life if you don't weaken."
She was tough but would give you the shirt off her back. She was one of a kind.
Catherine died October 18th at 11:00 PM.
A memorial Mass will be held at Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Winter Park on October 28th. at 11:00 AM.
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