June P Wallace

June Pauline Wallace ("Pauline" to those who were lucky enough to be a regular part of her life), age 101 years, of Elmcroft of Pinecrest, Largo Florida, passed into the presence of our Lord on February 25, 2019, after a short but valiant battle with pneumonia, to which she surrendered in order to move to a better place.

Pauline Wallace was born in Watsontown, Pennsylvania, on June 1, 1917, to L. E. and Myrtle Bower. She graduated from high school there and then attended bible college where she met and ultimately married Armand Doll, a fellow bible college student. In 1945 the Dolls, members of the Church of the Nazarene, were sent as missionaries to the Barbados, and then on to Trinidad. Three years later we were appointed as missionaries to Mozambique, formerly Portuguese East Africa. While in Mozambique, Pauline served as teacher in church schools, and for a number of years she operated a free school system which opened with twenty girls and grew to as many as 2000 boys and girls learning to read each year where only one out of one hundred could read or write at that time. During their years in Africa, Armand and another Nazarene missionary were arrested and incarcerated in a communist prison August 1975.

Upon her husband’s release by the communist rebels in 1976, the Dolls served as missionaries in 12 countries of the Caribbean area, retiring in 1981 to Lakeland Florida where, after the death of her husband, Pauline met retired minister Reverend Dr. J.C. Wallace some months after the death of his wife. J.C. and Pauline were united in marriage on-Feb. 15, 1988, and lived in Lakeland, Fl. until Dr. Wallace’s death in 2009. Pauline was a popular inspirational speaker in churches around the country, inspiring listeners to support Christian missions around the world. Pauline was equally in demand at family dinners with J.C. and the family, especially when successfully coaxed into telling hair-raising stories of missionary life in a developing country.

Mrs. Wallace is survived by her sister, Virginia Gray, of Boston, Mass.; stepson, Paul Wallace and wife Marilyn; step grandson, Dr. Paul Wallace and wife Laura, and step great granddaughter, Mackenzie, all of Largo; and step granddaughter, Kristin Wallace, Author, of Miami.

For family and friends, life will not be the same without Pauline, our guiding light, our angel, or as she was known at Pinecrest Place, “the Smile Lady.” The family misses her today, but we look forward to the day we shall all meet again with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise be to God. Funeral services are to be held at Wells Funeral Home, Plant City, on Tuesday, March 5th at 3:30 P.M. Visitation will begin at 3:00 P.M.