Pauline Claire Dugan Saunders, the mother of Msgr. William P. Saunders and Joseph F. Saunders Jr., died July 17 aged 98.
She was the oldest child, born to Paul G. Dugan and Clara V. Pasi, Aug. 21, 1926, in Brockway, Pa. When she was 6, her father, a World War I veteran, died. The family relied on the generosity of family and friends to care for Pauline and her brother, Paul, while Clara worked to support the family.
Pauline attended Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh 1945-48. Before her graduation and licensure, she signed up for the Nurse Cadet Corps and would have been sent to serve the U.S. Army had World War II not ended. Following her graduation, she worked in the operating room at Western Pennsylvania Hospital. There, she met Joseph F. Saunders, who also worked at the hospital while attending Duquesne University.
The couple married in 1950, and three years later had their first son, Joseph Jr., March 19, 1953. Several years later, the family moved to Washington, where they had their second son, William, March 9, 1957. While Joseph Sr. worked as a biochemist for the federal government, Pauline worked at Providence Hospital in Washington and the old Alexandria Hospital on Duke Street, which closed in 1974.
The family moved to Springfield in 1959, where they became founding members of St. Bernadette Church. Pauline served as one of the first school nurses, which was a volunteer position at the time.
An avid gardener, Pauline served as president multiple times for the West Springfield Garden Club and the Alexandria Chapter of Ikebana International. She was a devoted grandmother to her grandchildren Joseph F. Saunders III and Heather Saunders.
In his funeral homily July 21, Msgr. Saunders said that his mother loved the beatitudes and strove to live by them. According to Msgr. Saunders, she said shortly before her passing, “No matter what happens, I want you to know that I always loved Jesus; I always loved you and your brother; I want you to remember the fun we had together.”
