Paula C. Gaba

Paula Creasy Gaba, age 90, was a lovely lady, wife, sister, aunt, friend, mother and grandmother, who went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on September 22, 2018, at Shalom Park. Sunday, September 29, 2018, there will be a Visitation at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Monday, October 1, 2018, at 10:30 am, she will be buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, followed by a 12:00 pm Celebration of Life at Shalom Park.

Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner were names that many used to describe Paula Emolene Creasy Gaba as a beautiful woman. She was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on July 2, 1928, to Curtis and Sadie Johnson Creasy.

Musical, God-loving, active, hard working, athletic, large southern family surrounded her as she grew up as the second oldest in a family of eight. Her father, Curtis, worked for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, while her mother, Sadie, used her green thumb raising vegetables and magnificent flowers as she cared for and made wonderful meals for her growing family and the many others that stayed with them in Clemmons, North Carolina. Paula’s maternal grandfather was a farmer and Baptist preacher, so many summers with her siblings were spent on his farm. Those days provided many wonderful lessons and memories.

Paula’s heart for people led her to a career in nursing. She received her BSN from Cabarrus County Hospital School of Nursing in Concord, North Carolina in 1949. One of her best friends talked her into advanced training, and she enrolled to become a Nurse Anesthetist at Charity Hospital-Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. An aunt told her mother, “You’re letting Polly go to sin city?” She graduated and practiced anesthesia for a number of years.

Paula was introduced to the love of her life, Dr. James Gaba, at City Hospital in Winston-Salem. They dated for a few months. He reports, “We took a drive to Hot Springs, North Carolina, and knew we found something special. I told her we should get married and she said, ‘How about June 4th?’”

Paula and Jim shared a love of travel and helping others as they bounced around the world. Living and working in North Carolina, then Alabama, then, with Jim in the Air Force, Coco Beach, Florida, where he was a Captain at Patrick Air Force Base Hospital. Paula was a homemaker when their first child, a daughter, Kanda, was born, June 16, 1958. Paula enjoyed taking her out in the Florida sunshine for exercises, and she made sure they all enjoyed the beach and swimming as much as possible.

Jim’s brothers in Winfield, Alabama, called him to help with their busy practice, so they moved, settled, and welcomed their second child, a son, Eddie, on November 20, 1960. Paula’s babies, nieces, friends and nearby family brought her much joy.

With two little ones in tow, Paula found herself in Birmingham, Alabama, with Jim adding a residency in surgery to his education. Jim always bragged how beautiful Paula looked, including while she was pregnant. Paula and Jim soon had a third child, a daughter, Taryn, on February 7, 1963.

They returned to Winfield, and daughter, Kanda, received much of the family medical care as her health declined due to a severe mold allergy. Paula and Jim made another move to Artesia, New Mexico, where Jim was one of two surgeons, and Paula kept busy raising their three children, while actively volunteering at church and school. She made time for tennis, working out and swimming at the YMCA, participating in her bridge club, and delighting her family and friends with her wonderful southern cooking skills.

After her children completed their education and moved, Paula and Jim moved to Kansas City, where Jim worked in occupational medicine. Paula enjoyed having a new home to decorate with her special touches of greens and beauty. A few years later, they moved again to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Jim continued in his new area of occupational medicine and they could be near children and grandchildren.

A dream that they carried together began to take shape and soon Paula and Jim were traveling with the Christian Medical Association. Sometimes, they needed an anesthetist to assist Jim and others in surgery, whenever one would cancel or they couldn’t find someone to fill the position. Paula was nervous about needing to dust off her abilities, which she had put on the shelf as she raised children. But, after they returned home, Jim was proud to report how she rose to the occasion as an anesthetist every time.

During this busy season of mission trips and enjoying grandchildren, in 1997, Paula and Jim experienced the tragedy of losing their son, Eddie, to a rafting accident. Their strong faith, love, leaning on God and one another carried them through this very difficult time.

They eventually continued the call to bring healing to other countries, and completed 14 overseas mission trips. On their last trip, Paula said she could no longer travel like that anymore, and they settled down in full retirement, where she enjoyed hosting the children and grandchildren, her PEO sisters, Sunday school and church groups, family and friends.

Aging and medical conditions caught up with Jim, and after a much-needed back surgery in 2008, they moved to Shalom Park in Aurora, Colorado, where they enjoyed nine years in their patio home. Then, Paula and Jim shared a month in their suite at the Skilled Nursing facility.

“She is so sweet with such a pretty smile,” is how many of the nurses and staff described her. The night before her stroke, and four days before she passed, Kanda told her, “Mother, the nurses tell me you are so sweet.” Paula smiled and said, “I guess I bring the sugar.”

We know she brought the sugar to many who knew her.

Preceeded in death by her brother, Walter Landon Creasy, her parents, and her son, James Edwin Gaba, Jr.

Survivors include her sister, Julia Creasy Reed of North Carolina, her brother, William Creasy, of North Carolina, her sister, Nanette Creasy Spainhour of North Carolina, her brother, Bing Creasy of North Carolina, her husband, James Gaba, of Shalom Park, Aurora, Colorado, daughter, Kanda Gaba Pullara and son-in-law, Scott Pullara, of Centennial, Colorado, daughter-in-law, Sara (Gaba) Potecha, of Fisherville, Kentucky, Taryn Gaba Logan and son-in-law, Lynn Logan, of Lakewood, Colorado, and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Paula’s name to Christian Medical and Dental Association, P.O. Box 7500, Bristol, Tennessee 37621. (Missions in Memory of Paula Gaba), or at cmda.org.