Pauline Joan Melling

She was born in Chorley in Lancashire, England on March 12, 1946 to Herbert and Gladys and was an only child. At a young age, she loved dancing and going on holiday with her parents to the beach. She attended Southlands Primary School.

She met Derek Melling while on vacation in Belgium, despite living only miles apart, and got married in 1968 in Chorley. After Derek received a job offer in the United States, they moved to the East Coast to start their new life together. They had their first child Darren in 1973 while living in Boston. Next, another job opportunity brought them to San Diego and a year later, they had Andrew. Pauline loved nothing more than being a mother. She loved watching them play any and all sports. She has always been their number one fan. Pauline worked at the kid’s school and also ran her own daycare for years. She was a mother to the entire neighborhood.

As a family, they spent many weekends together with the McCartney’s, Martin’s, the Mullen’s and Richardson’s, as well as other San Diego Rover’s Soccer Club families the soccer field, camping, or spending time at De Anza Cove. These friends have become lifelong family and some are with us today.

As the boys grew older, Pauline decided to move to Lake Jennings to be a park ranger. She lived there for 20 years and made numerous friends. She loved the outdoors and fishing in her spare time. She loved doing arts and crafts, and was the educational leader at the park.

One of her biggest accomplishments was becoming a U.S. citizen in 1997. She was still loyal to British roots but was proud to be an American.

In her free time, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, Ian(23)and Devyn(21), children of Darren and wife Laura and Gavin (12) and Alivia(15) children of Andrew and wife Brooke. Pauline loved spoiling her children and grandchildren. Thinking back, there wasn’t anything she would turn down. Anytime you asked, she’d say “Oh Yay!” She enjoyed all the adventures life had to offer. She loved watching her grandchildren play on the pitch. She loved family dinners and loved spending the holidays with them.

Another passion Pauline had was crocheting. She enjoyed making blankets, hats, and dolls for everyone. Each Christmas, she made over 100 dolls to give away to children who needed them most. She crocheted tiny beanies for babies at Children’s hospital. We all have way more blankets than we need for the rest of our lives. She was a giver. She loved helping others.

In her most recent years, Pauline moved into assisted living and made a whole new set of friends. She really got her life back again here. She loved Bingo, painting as “Pauline VanGogh Melling,” sharing meals with her friends, and countless fun activities that she enjoyed. Her friends would agree that she was well loved here and had a contagious laugh.

Pauline will be deeply missed by all that knew her. Her beautiful smile and quick wit will always be remembered. She stood loyal to all of her family and friends. She has touched so many lives and we live on in her honor.