Paula K. Johnson

Paula Kay Johnson of Southold died on March 20, 2026 at age 96.

Paula Johnson—Mom, Oma, Grandma—will always be remembered for her kindness and her love of her family and friends. She was the matriarch of the family, a calm port in any storm. As a young mother, her home in Bethpage was the gathering place for all neighborhood kids. She welcomed everyone and was a good listener.

Born in Indiana in 1930, and taken back to Germany by her immigrant parents at three months, Paula grew up in war-torn Germany, surviving air raids, even the bombing of her home in Dortmund on her birthday near the end of the war. She had an independent streak and returned to the US at 17 and suffered several bouts of tuberculosis. She was cared for by German American nuns in Hoboken whom she had met in Germany. She never made it back to Indiana, but made a life for herself in New York City where she met the love of her life, the handsome Karl Paul Johnson (1926 -2004) at the Lorelai, then a popular dance venue for singles in Yorkville, a German-American neighborhood on Manhattan’s East Side. They married after a whirlwind courtship.

Together they raised four children in Bethpage - Karl (Abbe), Kevin, Karin, and Kristina (Greg) - while Paula also had a fulfilling professional career in the Payroll and HR departments of Nassau County Medical Center (erstwhile Meadowbrook Hospital). After her retirement in 1991, Paula and her husband moved to Cutchogue, where they were happily involved with the Peconic Seniors Club, biking, kayaking, and walking. Paula spent her final years as a widow in Southold.

She leaves behind her three children - Karl, Kris, and Karin - nine grandchildren - Bria, Adam and Karli; Stephen and Andrew; Samuel; Melissa, Kevin Jr., and Kasey - as well as 11 great grandchildren - Evan; Hunter, Hallie, and Quinn Paula; Ivy; Logan and Lucas; Kylie and Wyatt; Amelia and Finn - and her beloved brother, Heinz.

We will all miss her terribly.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 26, 2026 from 4-7P.M. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. Funeral Services will be held at 6:00 P.M., officiated by Pastor Garrett Johnson.

A private interment will take place Friday at Calverton National Cemetery.

In lieu flowers, donations may be made to East End Hospice Kanas Center ( P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978). Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.

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