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Funeral services for Pauline Mary Kent Harlan, age 85, of San Antonio will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North at 3401 Cherry Ridge in San Antonio, TX 78230 with Rev. David George officiating. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m.- 10:00 a.m. Interment will be private for immediate and extended family. Live streaming will be available through www.missionparks.com under obituary section. Mrs. Harlan was born November of 1934 in Cipoenham, Slough in the United Kingdom to William John Kent and Gladys Emily Mary Murphy Kent. She passed away June 7, 2020 at her home in San Antonio, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents, her older half-brother, John Robert Randall; older sister Patricia Ann Kent Meakins; her stillborn son, baby Harlan; and her son, Ross David Harlan. She leaves her husband of 64 years, Victor Allbyn Harlan; her sister Toni Kent King and her husband John; her son Kent Harlan and his wife Kerri of Dripping Springs, Texas; her son Grant A. Harlan of Cibolo, Texas; her daughter Lisa F. Harlan Gandy and her husband William of Paris, Texas; Six Grandchildren including Sean Harlan of San Antonio, Texas; Taylor Harlan Ramsey and her husband Jagger of Round Rock, Texas; Sarah Gandy Clark and her husband Steven of Conway, Arkansas; Kyle Harlan and Austin Harlan of Cibolo, Texas; and Christopher Harlan of Schertz, Texas; and one great grandchild, Rowan Ramsey of Roundrock, Texas. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews in both the United States and United Kingdom. Pauline was raised in Cipoenham, Slough in England in a house with a downstairs retail shop. As a child she loved to help her mum in her shop and had funny stories to tell of the sailors in WW II that would come to town and come into the shop to buy souvenirs. She loved to go to her Aunty Em’s and Uncle Bert’s home at the beach every summer and swim in the ocean. Other childhood sports she enjoyed playing were cricket and tennis, which she also played in school. In her teenage years she took up ballet and earned quite a few certificates in dancing. She spoke of this often in her life, so it was obvious it meant a lot to her. Animals were also important to her. She was very much an animal lover. She was 19 when she met her husband Victor while on holiday with her sister to Margate in Kent. He was stationed with the Air Force in England at the time. They married May 16, 1956 and just celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. She loved him dearly and served and honored her husband well through the thirty years he served in the military, including his deployment to the Vietnam War. Pauline was a devoted and loving mother to four children and a caregiver of one. She was also the person that would see the good in anything. She was the glue that held her family together as she provided total care to her invalid son who sustained a head injury, all the while raising her three other children while her husband worked. She did all of this year after year without ever uttering a complaint. She was a Christian and had a true servant’s heart. At one time, she completed an intense five-year bible study learning about every book of the Bible in detail with Bible Study Fellowship. She also worked in several jobs in sales over the years, including owning a Christian gift store. Pauline was an avid reader and loved to travel. Her favorite place for a vacation was the beach. Her family’s most fond vacation memories happened at Padre Island where she loved to get on a raft and ride the waves. The beach was her happy place! Pauline had a fun and whimsical way about her. She could make the most mundane things fun for her children. They recall when the bus would come to pick up one of them for school, she would very excitedly yell out “The bus”! It became a family ritual every morning as all of the children yelled it out in laughter. She was also a giver and an extremely remarkable knitter. She knit the most beautiful blankets, sweaters and even dresses for her family and friends. She loved to scrapbook also and made a detailed scrapbook for all of her children. She loved to sing and could even yodel! Opera was her favorite music. She whistled all day with everything she did and was known for her ability to whistle any tune. She was also known to her family as “the Hallmark lady” as she sent Hallmark cards for every occasion, or for no occasion at all, as well as giving Hallmark Christmas ornaments to her family every year. Pauline had a kind heart for children. She not only raised her own children, but also opened her home to assist her son in raising his children when he became ill. She went to any lengths for their well-being and happiness. She kept a smile on her face for her children when living through very difficult times, traveled through a blizzard to watch her daughter at a gymnastics competition, devoted her entire retirement years to helping raise her grandchildren, and in spite of a femur fracture, attended her granddaughter’s wedding nine hours away. She was a very strong woman with optimism that could move mountains. Her family’s sorrow is comforted by knowing that she is now with our Lord in Heaven, no doubt whistling to the angel’s tunes, and enjoying being with her children and other family once again. Pauline’s favorite charity was St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org, or the charity of your choice, in lieu of flowers. Pallbearers for the service will be grandsons Sean Harlan, Kyle Harlan, Austin Harlan, Christopher Harlan, and grandson-in-laws Steven Clark, and Jagger Ramsey.

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Pauline Mary Harlan

November 7, 1934 - June 7, 2020