In Memory
Paula Louise Stratton
October 12, 1957 - July 18, 2022
Paula “Pearl” Stratton, 64 - beloved wife, teacher, and matriarch - passed away peacefully at home surrounded by the love of her family on July 18, 2022, after a battle with cancer. Like her moniker, “Pearl” was a rare jewel, full of wisdom, and most at home by the water. Paula was born October 12, 1957, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mary and Ernest Doerner. The youngest of two children, she was very close to her older brother Ernie, especially after the sudden passing of their father when she was 12 years old. She learned to be independent and work hard at an early age and earned a swimming scholarship to a Penn State University branch campus. After transferring to the main campus, she met a Navy ROTC midshipman named Jeff who worked diligently to win her heart. Two years after Paula graduated with a degree in Education, and her favorite Sailor was commissioned and completed Navy SEAL training, they were married in September 1981. A lifelong educator and mentor to many, Paula enjoyed a distinguished career as a Health and Physical Education teacher, first for Norfolk Public Schools, then for 20+ years with Fairfax County Public Schools at Thoreau Middle School, Vienna, Virginia. At Thoreau, she excelled as a dedicated teacher to her students and also as a Lead Mentor, providing support and guidance to new teachers. She was a loving and involved mother, and the steadying force and sounding board behind her husband’s Navy career. Paula always stayed active and loved to explore the outdoors, whether kayaking, hiking, or swimming. She was fearless in taking on any manner of home improvement and always had new projects in mind. She had a knack for design and an instinct for finding unique gifts for family and friends, which led her to conceive and build custom furniture pieces for each of her children. Paula also loved to travel, and she visited much of the world, first as a Navy wife, and then on Jeff’s business trips after her retirement. All her life, Paula had a deep love and connection to the water. She cherished the opportunity to volunteer at a lakefront camp in Maine for seventeen summers and continued kayaking well after her cancer diagnosis, using a pedal kayak. Her view of the Lynnhaven River during her final months brought her peace and tranquility and helped her handle life’s greatest challenges with dignity and grace, writing, “you can’t always wait for the perfect moments, sometimes you have to create them.” Paula is survived by her college sweetheart, soul mate, and loving husband of 40 years, Commander Jeff Stratton (USN, Retired); three children, Christopher Stratton, Jennifer Stratton and husband Race Solimine, and Erica Stratton-Kang and husband Dr. Matt Kang; brother Ernest Doerner and wife Eileen; nephew Patrick Doerner and wife Charlotte (Amelia and Caleb); niece Stacy Doerner, and many other loving relatives and close friends. Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 4, 2022, from 6pm to 8pm at Hollomon-Brown at 1264 N. Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, August 5, 2022, at 10am at the Base Chapel aboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, 1160 D St, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The burial will occur at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, at a future date to be announced. Condolences to the family may be offered at www.hollomon-brown.com. In lieu of flowers donations in honor of Pearl’s life and legacy can be made to: Kieve-Wavus Education Fund at kieve.org/give or to SEAL Veterans Foundation | sealveteransfoundation.org/donate. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com
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