Antonia Pulone

Toni was born on January 7, 1949 to Edmond Domenic Pulone and Beatrice Hamilton Pulone in Santa Monica, California. She left us on August 9, 2021, two years after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, having never been a smoker. During this time, she steadfastly endured increasingly taxing medical treatment to hold the invader at bay. She fought valiantly and with great good humor, a trouper to the end. Though she was discharged from hospital into hospice care only two days before her death, she died in her own home and in her own bed.

Toni is survived by her grieving husband, Stephen Walwyn, her sister-in-law Angela Herman, six nieces, seven nephews, seven greatnieces and 3 great-nephews. Toni and Steve had been together for forty-three years.

Toni graduated Alverno Heights Academy in Pasadena in 1966, attended the University of San Diego for a year, then in 1967 transferred to the University of Santa Clara, graduating in 1970. In the early ‘70s she was in Mississippi working in a Federal program, counseling and mentoring underprivileged black teens, encouraging them to further their education in the face of still-prevalent racial discrimination. She returned to California in search of a transferable professional skill, and began Court Reporting school in Fresno in 1974. She was licensed as a Certified Shorthand Reporter in 1977, and began her career as a deposition reporter with the firm of Richard Pastorino in San Jose. In 1982, she and her dear friend and colleague, Sarah Stromberg, formed their own partnership, Pulone and Stromberg Court Reporters. When Sarah relocated to the Sacramento area, Toni continued the firm as Pulone and Stromberg, Inc., dba Pulone Reporting Services, which gained a reputation as one of the premier deposition reporting firms in the Bay Area during its 35-year history.

Toni’s was a vivacious and sunny personality. As many of her friends have noted, she lit up a room when she entered it. Like her father, she could make a friend of a stranger in just a few minutes. She was beloved by her employees, her reporting colleagues and a host of friends, professional and personal, and was highly respected within the Bay Area legal community. Whatever Toni undertook, she did with verve and enthusiasm. She had a beautiful alto singing voice and loved singing with the choral group of which she was a member. She was passionate about dance, whether tap, ballroom or her great love, Flamenco, and all music was a joy to her, especially classical, jazz and latin. A dedicated shopper, a talent she inherited from her mother, Toni was always superlatively well-turned out. Toni and Stephen’s cabin at Lake Almanor had been her haven since 1992, and she sorely missed being there during the past two years as the need for constant medical care tethered her to the Bay Area.

How difficult it is to encapsulate the life and personality of a beloved spouse. Toni’s essence could not have been more aptly and graciously captured than in the following tribute by her colleagues at the Deposition Reporters Association of California (CalDRA), of which she was a founding member and past President:

“In the history of our organization, there has been no other court reporter who has had a more profound impact on, or made more significant contributions to CalDRA and its membership. Serving as our ‘Depo Diplomat’ for many seasons, Toni lent her years of expertise to providing authority on the most difficult ethical and legal dilemmas in our field. If a definitive opinion was sought for a particular issue, Toni could always be counted on to deliver sage, accurate and insightful advice to a member in need. Toni’s vast knowledge of the California codes and their application to our profession also ensured that she was the single most prolific and popular speaker at CalDRA seminars and conventions throughout the years, often being on the dais for three discrete seminars in a single weekend. Her encyclopedic recall of legislation, including bills in other states, guaranteed a lively and informative discussion whenever she was at the helm. She never seemed to tire in her zest for the good fight even after decades in the arena, most of it on the front lines. And Toni was not just an icon in California. She was a national treasure, often called upon to either serve on or co-chair National Court Reporters Association committees, and on many an occasion invited to speak at both national and other states’ conventions. Toni’s name has garnered the respect of our colleagues across the nation for many years, thanks to her continual volunteerism, expertise and dedication to our profession. Perhaps more important than a long and impressive list of professional achievements was Toni, the person. Strong, smart, funny, intuitive, she was the friend you counted on for an ear, for a hug, for a smile. She was tough but never a bully, analytical but never denigrating. In true vivacious Italian style, she talked with her hands; she was always elegant and polished; her chunky jewelry collection had no equal. Toni was pure class.

Perhaps her qualities were best summed up by her dear friend and colleague Ed Howard, who worked alongside her on legislative matters for nearly 15 years: “I admired and loved her very much. Intellectually brilliant, sure, but it was Toni’s elegant graceful goodness as a person that was so unique and, to me, both the source of her charisma and an inspiring example to me, always. Maybe the most consequential member of your profession... well, maybe ever.’”

No funeral has been held. A memorial gathering is being planned for a date in the near future.