When she died of a heart attack two weeks ago, Betty Pauley, 62, had not been San Jose's "Toy Lady" for more than a decade.
But friends still marveled over the many years Mrs. Pauley turned her house into a Santa's workshop for the needy.
"That's the biggest thing people remember," said Philip Pauley of San Jose. "All those toys in our garage every Christmas got a lot of attention."
Mrs. Pauley's contributions to her community didn't stop there. She also lobbied City Hall to increase the number of parks in the city and volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America.
Her husband said Mrs. Pauley learned early the importance of community service. Her father was a Boy Scouts leader in Michigan, and her mother was a teacher.
Children were an important part of her life. Until she retired in June, Mrs. Pauley taught at a preschool. Her husband said she would do more than teach. She worked on after-school events, made crafts for the children and, on Halloween, wore a dress she had designed with lots of candy-stuffed pockets. "She was sort of a hero over at the school because any time you wanted something done, she was there," Philip Pauley said.
Son Bill Pauley of Long Beach said it was fun to grow up with a mother who kept hundreds of toys around on Christmas.
"We got to repair them and maybe play with a few before they went back out the door,'' he said.
His mother's community spirit, he said, was contagious. So was her line of work. Her graphic design firm in downtown San Jose, he said, got him hooked on the field.
Even though she died just months after her June retirement, Philip Pauley said, his wife had a good life and her spirit lives on in her community.
That's why he chose William Street Park for her memorial last Saturday.
"It seemed natural," he said. "A grassy knoll in a neighborhood park was more appropriate than an uncomfortable funeral home."
Mrs. Pauley's relatives suggest donations to the Elizabeth Pauley Memorial Fund, Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County, 1310 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose, Calif. 95128.