Paula Potenza

On Friday, November 1, 2019, Paula Michele Potenza, passed away from us at the age of 55, way too soon. Paula was born in Kaneohe, Hawaii on March 14, 1964, the second of three daughters, to Al and Faye Potenza. Born into a military family (USMC), she and her family moved around a lot in those first years of her life, finally settling in Tustin, California. She received her bachelor degree from UCSD in environment science and, after a few years traveling the U.S. for her job as a biologist, came back to California and received her master’s degree in biology from Cal State Fullerton. She settled in Oceanside, California, right across the street from the ocean. Paula loved the ocean, being outside, and her dogs. She would sail whenever she could, and didn’t even get sea-sick (unlike her sisters). A few years ago, she and her sisters decided they would vacation together every couple of years. When it was her turn, she picked Kauai, Hawaii (ask us about standing up in a kayak and wasabi). That was a great vacation. We laughed a lot. She was the one her sister we would call to get the spider out of the house, taught her brother-in-law how to make a loop so he could catch lizards and snakes, and took her nieces snorkeling in La Jolla Cove where they saw a shark. Paula was excited about the shark, but her nieces have never gone in the water again. Paula was preceded in death by her mother, Faye, and her beloved Boston Terrier, Ajax. Paula is survived by her father, Al, her sister Alison, her nephew, Parker, her sister Carol, Carol’s husband, Leos, nephew and niece, Marcus and Laura, and her two dogs, Hermes and Daphne. In lieu of services, Paula asked that her ashes be scattered on the ocean in Oahu, Hawaii, the last trip she and her family will go on together. We will miss her so much.

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