Ernestine "Tina" Pauley, 91, of Washington, D.C., formerly of Stamford, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2025 in her residence at Grand Oaks Assisted Living Community in Washington, D.C.

Tina was born on January 8, 1934, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Ernest and Ilona Pauley. When she was just six months old, her father tragically died in an airplane crash and she was raised by her mother Ilona Pauley. Her mother was a strong, forward-thinking woman who became Tina's lifelong inspiration and confidante. Together they shared a singular bond, living together in Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut during Tina's youth and later in Washington, DC. Tina was baptized and received her First Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, 37 Schuyler Avenue in Stamford, CT. She attended Lauralton Hall, an all-girls Catholic high school in Milford, CT before transferring to Stamford High School for junior and senior year of school. Tina confessed to her mother, the all-girls school was too boring and she wanted to be around boys. Tina also told the story of her first boyfriend, a young man she was deeply in love with and would take the train to New Haven, CT to visit him at Yale University. As she recalled the fond memory, she often smiled about how her mother would even allow such unsupervised visits at a young age and during a time when it would have been perceived as a bit controversial in the 1950s.

After high school graduation in 1952, Tina began working modestly at a local Stamford bank. It was in walking-distance from Ferguson Library located in the downtown area of Stamford, Connecticut where her mother was employed. Enjoying the close proximity to each other, mother and daughter would often meet for lunch.  Tina joined the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service, the Secretarial pool in 1958, completing her initial training in Boston, Mass. Her first overseas posting was in 1959 to Madrid, Spain, where she also enjoyed temporary short-term summer assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland. Her second overseas posting was in 1962 to New Delhi, India, where her mother joined her. Tina's third posting was in Guadalajara, Mexico. Tina's Foreign Service career concluded in 1968. She spent a year savoring life and romance in London, England before returning to Washington, D.C. She permanently settled residence in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. There she reunited with a former foreign service colleague from Madrid, Ms. Joan Scott and it was the beginning of a cherished friendship that would last nearly 60 years.

In 1970, Tina began a deeply rewarding second career as a librarian at U.S. News & World Report, located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. It was in walking-distance of her residence and Tina often commented about how much she enjoyed the ability to walk to work every day. She would often remark in later years, despite the absence of a formal library science degree, that she was chosen over 300 applicants due to her foreign service experience and they often reminded her of this fact. She quickly learned all she could about the requirements for library science and took great pride in her. Tina did not anticipate the position would blossom into a beloved 20-year career. During this time, her mother Ilona permanently relocated to Washington, DC to be with her daughter in her final years. The two became well-known in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood as the vibrant and inseparable "Go-Go Girls," frequently spotted at concerts, galleries, and lectures. Tina often describe to younger generations the excitement and fine details of attending the inaugural opening of the much beloved Kennedy Center in 1971 and the inaugural opening of the National Gallery of Art's East Building in 1978. Both institutions held special memories and remained favorites throughout her lifetime, consistently attending music or art lectures.

After the passing of her mother in 1985, Tina remained in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood but moved to Potomac Plaza Apartment building, where her best friend Joan also took up residence. Tina retired in 1990 as technology transformed the librarian field, introducing digital card cataloging and more computer processes. After retirement, Tina and her best friend Joan were frequently seen together in the neighborhood, still very active in social and cultural engagements around the city.  In Joan's final years, she battled Alzheimer disease and Tina was a devoted friend and took care of her. Tina lovingly cared for her best friend Joan until her death in September 2017. In Tina's final years, she became very close to her neighbor Laura Calabria and her young family living alongside her apartment. Tina enjoyed the role of a defacto grandmother to twins Andrew and Alaina Friedman. Laura, another fellow Connecticut yankee, was extremely close to Tina. Laura took care of Tina in her final years and assisted her during challenges with dementia.

Tina's life was remarkable not just for where it took her, but for how she chose to live it. Born with humble beginnings, she was self-taught and grew into a woman of refinement and experience, traveling the world and cultivating a life full of art, culture, and friendships from all around the world. She embodied the quiet courage of a woman determined to chart her own course during decades when society encouraged women to marry young and remain at home. Tina rejected convention, choosing to marry only for love, a testament to her independent spirit. Tina mentored young women and was always quick to provide comfort and wise counsel as they were navigating their own careers. It was amazing to hear the same issues she endured continued into the modern-day careers of these young women.

Throughout her life she carried herself with dignity, humility, and grace. She was elegant but unpretentious, deeply loving and devoted to her friends, neighbors, and community. Those who knew Tina experienced her bright spirit, her unshakable optimism, and her appetite to keep experiencing opportunities and the joys life could offer. She was beloved in her neighborhood and throughout Washington circles for her steadfast support of the arts, her warmth and generosity of spirit, and her quiet wisdom. Her absence will be deeply felt by all who were fortunate enough to know her. A funeral service will be held at Adzima Funeral Home, 50 Paradise Green Place, Stratford, CT 06614, on Monday, September 22, 2025, at 11 a.m. Visitation from 10-11 a.m. Interment will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Stratford.