Pauline McNulty
Pauline Antoinette McNulty was born May 8, 1931 in Danbury, CT to parents Michael Gillotti, Sr. and Pauline Gillotti nee Wolter. Her brothers Bill, Phil, Mike, Jr., and Bernie have all passed on, though youngest brother Eddie still lives in Bridgeport, CT. She and her husband, James McNulty, are parents of REDdimension Wiki Circle member, Kevin McNulty.
Childhood
Pauline grew up the youngest of six children in a modest two-story house in Danbury built in the 1800s. She recalls her childhood as a happy and loving one. Her mother was a talented cook who learned to cook Italian when she married Mike, Sr. She cooked almost nothing but Italian food throughout Pauline's life, depsite being raised on German food herself.
The family was of modest means due to extensive medical expenses through the years. Eddie contracted polio at age 3, requiring treatment and rehabilitation. Bernie developed a brain abcess at age 15, the surgery for which left him blind and speech impaired for life. Mike, Jr., who drove a bakery truck in his teens, had an extremely serious accident in the truck and was not expected to live (though he eventually made a complete recovery). Finally, Mike, Sr. had heart problems, having a series of five heart attacks over the years, the final one taking his life in 1962.
As a child, Pauline regularly tormented her youngest brother, Eddie. One of her favorite ploys was to wait until her parents were in the dining room playing cards with their friends, and then yell "Eddie, stop it!" Eddie of course would be on the other side of the room nowhere near his sister. Mike, Sr. would yell into the living room, "Eddie, leave your sister alone!" A few minutes later, Pauline would yell again. The routine would continue until her father stomped into the living room and back-handed poor Eddie. Eddie did have his moments of revenge though. Once, he sat in Pauline's doll carriage until it broke, so he could use the wheels for a go kart.
Her brother, Bill, graduated with a degree in engineering from UCLA. He was the first Gillotti to ever earn a college degree. He went on to work for Northrop Aircraft in California. He had a daughter, Patricia Gillotti, who still lives in California and remains close to Pauline and her husband.
Pauline graduated from Danbury High School in 1949.
Occupations
After graduating high school, Pauline held various assembly jobs, mostly at electronics manufacturing firms in and around Danbury. When she married Jim, she left work to become a stay-at-home-mom (though in those days they just called it "housewife") for 17 years.
In 1979 she finally got the urge to work again, and Kevin was then 15 and could, one hoped, fend for himself after school. She became a dental assistant to a child's dentist, Dr. Thomas, in Anaheim. She worked for him for four years until he sold the practice and retired. The new owner, Dr. David Okawachi, kept her on until she retired in 2000. Working for "Dr. Dave" for 17 years, Pauline became very close to the Okawachis. She is now "foster grandma" to their children and the two families remain close.
Residences
Pauline grew up in Danbury, CT and lived with her parents until her first marriage in 1952. Divorced only two years later, she returned to her parents' home, this time with her new daughte.
After marrying Jim in December of 1962, she moved to Westbury, NY. Shortly after the birth of their son, Jim accepted a job in California, and the family moved to Westminster in 1966. After moving to Chula Vista, CA for less than two years, the McNulty's settled in Anaheim, CA in 1974. The couple lived in the Anaheim townhome for 30 years, moving in 2004 to a retirement community in a different part of Anaheim.
Family
She, her mother and her grandmother are all named Pauline, leading to much confusion is trying to recant family history. To clarify, it is presented here as a chart:
So, Pauline's father's parents, Antonio and Antoinette, were from Italy. They emigrated to America before having any children. Michael and his four sisters and brother were all born in the United States.
Pauline's mother's parents, Rheinholdt and Pauline (yes, three generations of Pauline's), were from Germany and living in Austria when their daughter was born. The family moved to America when Pauline (Wolter's) was just 13. She had three sisters and a brother.
Pauline is the mother of a daughter from her first marriage, and of Kevin McNulty from her current marriage of 45 years with Jim. Pauline had no contact with her ex-husband once they were divorced, and her daughter was raised by she and Jim. Pauline is a grandmother to three and a great-grandmother to two.
Pauline and Jim also have an unofficially adopted family which includes many of their friends and their children's friends. They are grandparents many times over to the children of their "adopted" children, and they are never short of people to love and who love them.
Hobbies
- Crossword puzzles
- Embroidery
- Collecting (just about anything at some point in her life)
- Crocheting
Trivia
- Pauline's father was, at one time, the sheriff of Danbury, CT
- Jim and Pauline met on a blind date arranged by a friend of Pauline's who was also one of Jim's co-workers
- Pauline had two aunts on her dad's side, that each weighed nearly 400 pounds despite being only five feet tall
