Margaret Pauline Duffy Fuszek Meissner (Paula), 92, of Midland passed on May 25, 2019. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at Redeemer Christian Fellowship Church, 2906 Franklin Ave., Midland. Interment will follow in Fairview Cemetery, Midland, Texas.Pauline was born on July 1, 1926 in Pilot Grove Township, Hancock County, Illinois to Lela Margaret Willis and Charles (Tam) Orville Duffy. Polly was raised on a farm with her older sister Helen and younger brother Orville. She started school in a little country one-room schoolhouse and later attended schools in Quincy and Carthage, Illinois. During her last year of high school she moved to Seattle, Washington to help a relative, finish school, and work at Van de Kamp’s bakery. She returned to Carthage after graduating from high school and married John Fuszek on January 17, 1945. They lived for a short while in Indianapolis where John was stationed and Paula worked as a model. They then moved to Chicago where her husband attended the University of Chicago and their first son John Richard (Ricky) was born in 1947. They later moved to Big Spring, Texas in 1950 where their daughter Margaret Lynette (Peggy) was born. They then moved to Midland in 1952 where they lived on the Sprayberry Lease. Her husband John was a geologist and worked for Atlantic Richfield and later Forest Oil Corporation. Paula worked as an executive secretary for many years in downtown Midland. In 1959, they had a daughter Catherine Marie (Cathy).Paula enjoyed her pets, singing, refinishing antiques, playing bridge, traveling to Hawaii and Europe as well as fishing in New Mexico, but her real passion was sharing the love of Jesus with everyone she met. She started a new ministry in the mid-1970s called Christian Daughters where they met once a month for a potluck dinner to fellowship, pray, and study the Bible. After her husband John died in 1996, she became acquainted with Fredrick Meissner, former NASA engineer, at Midland Memorial Hospital where they were both working as chaplains. They married in 1997 and were together serving the Lord for twenty-two years until her death.Paula was preceded in death by her son Rick in 1999 and her granddaughter Pearl Mabry in 2013.She is survived by her husband; two daughters; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was greatly loved by her family and friends and will be sorely missed.The family would like to express their gratitude to Hospice of Midland and Ashton Medical Lodge for their compassionate care during these last months of her life.Arrangements under the direction of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home & Crematory of Midland. Online condolences may be sent at www.npwelch.com .,
