Mrs. Paula Sue Vickers

Paula Sue Vickers, age 72 of Alexandria, Virginia passed away at her home on March 27, 2019. She is survived by her beloved husband of 52 years, James W. Vickers; her daughter Lisa Johnson (Paul), sons Bryan Vickers (Katie), and Scott Vickers (Jennifer); and her seven grandchildren whom she adored, Lindsay, Natalie, Alex, Lucy, Campbell, Belle and Bryan. She is also survived by three brothers, Gary Moore, Dean Moore and Chris Moore (Susan), and her brother and sister in law, Ron and Betty Vickers. She is preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Carnell Moore, and her brother Michael Moore. She is also survived by nieces and nephews, family and friends. Paula was born in Newport News, Virginia, the oldest of five children and the only girl. When she was a young girl her family moved to Alexandria. Paula attended George Washington High School, and in the summer of her junior year, met Jim while he was working as a lifeguard at the neighborhood Warwick Village Pool. They had their first date at the Peter, Paul and Mary concert at the Carter Barron Amphitheater, and the rest was history! They dated through the rest of high school and college. Paula relocated to Salem, Virginia after a year at Greensboro College to work for the Selective Service, while Jim finished his studies at Roanoke College. Paula and Jim married on August 5, 1967. After school they moved back to Alexandria, and in October 1971 welcomed their daughter Lisa. They knew they wanted two or three children and that was settled when they discovered they were expecting twin boys. They moved to the house they would spend the next 44 years in, and two months later in August of 1975, Scott and Bryan were born. In the 1980s, Paula worked at the Department of Justice and she ran the Attorney General’s Honor Program and the Summer Law Intern Program for many years. She retired from the Justice Department in 1998, and started looking for her next adventures! Always looking for a new project, she pursued her lifelong dream of acting. After taking just a couple of lessons, she was cast after her first audition. She spent many years doing plays, commercials, medical acting for drug companies, and standardized patient acting and instructing for George Washington University medical students. Paula was very active and made friends everywhere she went. She was passionate about exercise and healthy living. She loved her time in the gym, and at her pilates, yoga and meditation classes. Just last year at the age of 71 she took up her latest activity—tap dancing! She tap danced as a child and always wanted to return to it. She loved to show off her latest moves to her kids and grandkids! Paula also loved to read, and she loved her time with her friends in book clubs. She delighted in finding and recommending books to her friends, especially advance copies she picked up at the beach. In the past five years Paula and Jim were able to travel, taking four phenomenal cruises. Their favorite travel companions were their close friends Jackie and Barry, and they were lucky enough to do a transatlantic cruise. Just this past fall they took a dream river cruise from Amsterdam down the Rhine and Danube Rivers. Paula’s favorite place was her beach house, Carolina in my Mind, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She loved spending time in Corolla with her family and her cherished dog, Arnie. When at the beach, Paula woke up every morning without fail to watch the sunrise and take a long beach walk. Paula and Jim celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a beautiful vow renewal on the beach at Topsail, North Carolina in 2017, surrounded by all their children and grandchildren. Nothing brought her more joy than her role as Mom Mom to her beloved seven grandchildren. Lindsay, Natalie, Campbell, Alex, Lucy, Belle and Bryan are the light of Mom Mom and Pop Pop’s lives. They came to every dance recital, soccer game, basketball game, performance, competition, play and musical the kids were involved in. All the kids’ friends knew Mom Mom, and many thought of her as another grandmother in their lives. Her family is so grateful for all the memories they will carry with them, even though her time here was cut far too short. There will be a visitation on Monday, April 1st from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22315. Funeral service will be Tuesday, April 2nd at 1pm at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 8009 Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria VA 22308. A reception will be held immediately following the service for family and friends at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Paula’s memory to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue at www.homewardtrails.org or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.

Tributes

Mrs. Paula Sue Vickers

March 3, 1947 - March 27, 2019