Barbara Ann Paulson

Barbara Ann (Mills) Paulson, 78, of Lomita, California, passed away with her son and daughter by her side at home on November 18, 2023.

Barbara was born on September 12, 1945 in Wilmington, California, moved to Arkansas for a short time as a young girl before heading back to the Golden State.

She graduated from Banning High School and then attended Harbor College. Story has it she would’ve been the first female to graduate from that college with an Associate Degree in Criminology. She wanted to be a policewoman but God had other plans. She met and married Bill Paulson and they started a family. She helped run Paulson Plastering while raising two children, Ernie and Cheryl. They meant everything to her. And she was everything to them. Again, she would’ve been a good policewoman, but she was a GREAT mother. And not just to her kids… she was the class mom, team mom, and proudly carried the title of second mom to so many of our friends. Then came her encore performance. She was one funtastic grandma who was always up for a game of wiffle ball, miniature golf, cards, etc. She loved her grandkids, Griffin and Evan Claire. And they adored her. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention her fur babies. She loved every animal that ever wandered up her driveway and into her life. And she took great care of them. They (Apache, Petunia, Grampa, Motormouth, Brownie, Honey, Pugsley and the list goes on and on) were also her children.

Barbara was a proud member of the Wilmington First United Methodist Church where she started teaching Sunday School when she was 18. During her 54 years with the church, she also sang in the choir, spent many years on the church board, and was a faithful servant to her Lord and Savior. She loved her church family. 

Barbara enjoyed watching and rooting on her kids in every sport they played. She also dug the Dodgers and spent many a day and night at the stadium cheering them on. She was a sports fanatic but especially loved watching tennis. And in her spare time, she enjoyed bowling and had a pretty mean back-up ball. She also had a passion for music… loved Elvis, Buddy Holly, Jan and Dean, and Pearl Jam just to name a few. 

You may also remember Barbara’s face if you ever stepped into Lomita City Hall from 1997 to 2013. She unretired to work as a Community Services Technician helping low-income and elderly residents. She was typically the first one to greet you through the door. She was loud, energetic, and full of personality. She never met a stranger or someone she couldn’t strike up a conversation with. If you met Barbara… you remembered her. And we will always remember and honor the memory of our mom. She was our family’s foundation. Our rock. She was selfless, supportive, smart, sharp-witted, kind, compassionate, accepting, understanding, nonjudgemental, friendly, funny, forgiving, and full of life and love. She was our EVERYTHING. 

Barbara is survived by her two children, Ernie (Tracee) Paulson and Cheryl Paulson, her two grandchildren, Griffin and Evan Claire Paulson, her two siblings, Deana Baker and John Mills, and her stepson, Erik (Lark) Paulson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, parents, Tom and Viola Mills, brother, Daniel Mills, and stepson, Billy Paulson.

Barbara Paulson’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Wilmington, 928 Lagoon Avenue, Wilmington, CA.