Pauline Duncavage

Pauline Postupack Duncavage passed into the loving arms of the Lord, her husband, Joseph, and daughter, MaryBeth, on Tuesday, January 16th, 2024. She was 95 years old and was the last of her family’s Great Generation members. She was born to a rural Pennsylvania farm family that had immigrated from the Ukraine. She was the third youngest of fifteen children. Deep loyalty to her family, the Eastern Catholic Church, and the United States and a breathtakingly fierce work ethic were instilled in her, along with a profoundly deep sense of gratitude for receiving the blessing of being an American. She was raised during the depression and saw her brothers serve with valor in combat during WWII, while she served her family farm and town in their absence as a teenager.

Being the daughter of rural working class immigrants during the depression, she had no hope of higher education. But that closed door only furthered her commitment to knowledge and learning. Even in her 9th decade, her communication skills were indistinguishable from that which would be expected of those holding graduate degree credentials from the finest American Universities. Her unquenchable drive to better herself was a hallmark throughout her life. She faced obstacles to women in the workplace by being a force in the offices she managed. Later, she became the first female President of a Kiwanis club and the first female regional Lieutenant Governor. After losing her daughter in 1982 and husband in 1994, she continued on, both professionally and volunteering, into her 80s. She lived entirely independently into her 92nd year.

In 1952, she married a dashing Marine Corps officer and WWII veteran from her hometown of Tamaqua, PA. They moved to Connecticut in 1955 and raised four children in Trumbull. Her commitment to education was expressed in her focus on providing the means for her children and grandchildren to succeed and achieve.

She did not accept excuses for performance. She frequently, and often sternly, reminded her children of their obligation to respond to their God-given blessings of health, intelligence and American citizenship with unconditional devotion.

Her famous words of motivation to her children and grandchildren about the obligation to pursue education was summed up in her quote, “Because it is such a wonderful thing to know.”

Her uncompromising focus on education bore incredible fruit. Her 4 children and 6 grandchildren found their way to the following 18 institutions: West Point, Providence College, University of Chicago Medical School, US Navy Test Pilot School, Northeastern University, Boston College School of Theology, Harvard University, Trinity University, Texas State University, MIT, US Naval Academy, US Air Force Academy, London Business School, Syracuse University, US Navy Flight School, US Air Force Flight School, US Navy Surface Warfare School, University of Washington.

Friends are invited to attend her funeral services on Friday, February 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 4700 Madison Ave., Trumbull, CT. Entombment to follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Friends may pay their respects on Thursday, February 1, 2024, from 4-7 p.m. at the Cyril F. Mullins Funeral Home, 399 White Plains Rd., Trumbull, CT. For more information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.mullinsfh. com