PAULINE JOHNSON MURDOCK

Pauline Christine Johnson Murdock, family matriarch, has gone to rest with her creator on Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. Sweet little mama, beautiful grandma, and caretaker of the family, she was born in Carl Junction, Mo., on March 30, 1916, to Ida Christine Gustafson Johnson and Davied Johnson, along with her beloved twin brother, Paul. Pauline lived a rich and full childhood on the family farm, until she met her partner of 70 years, Lee Murdock, while they worked in a hospital in Veneta, Okla. Soon they found their way to California to join Pauline's sister Hazel and her husband, and to find work in the shipyards. A series of miraculous events guided Lee and Pauline's early life together, but the best among them was the birth of their first child, Davied Lee Murdock. Soon joined by Martha Elaine, the little family would be divided by WWII for a few short years, before they relocated to Hayfork, Calif.

Pauline selflessly and completely lived the duration of her life in Hayfork, spending the first few years in Forest Glenn raising her young family as Lee worked at a family saw mill. She raised five beautiful children, the pride of her life, and tirelessly cared for her husband, her kids, and their babies throughout her time with us. Pauline took great pleasure in her trips with Lee as a "Snowbird" to Yuma, Ariz., and to Deer Lodge in Trinidad, Calif. It was always her joy to be joined in Trinidad by the beloved members of her family, where she could cook for them, and enjoy a hot cup of coffee. She loved the friends she made on these adventures, and wrote many letters keeping in touch with all of them over the years.

In her final years, Pauline continued to amaze us with her boundless energy, wit and compassion. She always welcomed a visit from family and friends, and would be sure to have coffee hot and a care package ready. As our family matriarch and center of our gatherings, she ruled with an iron, loving fist that all respected and adored, and will deeply missed.

Pauline was preceded in death by her parents, her twin brother, Paul Johnson, her other siblings, Wallace, Velma and Raymond, and her first born, Davied Lee Murdock. She is survived by her husband, Lee Murdock, her sister Hazel, and her children and their spouses: Martha and Robert Zmak, Carl and Shelley Murdock, Lynn and Zoe Murdock, Carolyn and Dennis Rourke, as well as her adored grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Services will be held this Friday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. at Hayfork Community Church, which she attended for many years. Please join us as we honor her memory. Private family graveside services immediately following.