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In memory of

Paulina Sinclair Hungerford

Southbury, CT, USA

July 10, 1927 - March 11, 2020

Jul 10, 1927 - Mar 11, 2020

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Our friend Paulina Hungerford died peacefully on March 11, 2020. She was born 92 years ago on July 10
in Korumburra, Australia. Adversity in her early years helped Paulina develop great strength which would
be necessary later. From an early age Paulina had an interest in spiritual questions and while in Australia
she studied to become a deaconness in the Presbyterian church. After marrying Eric Clouston she moved
to the United States where her daughter Katrine was born. Paulina raised Kate alone as a single parent
from the time that Kate was about six months old. Paulina worked for many years at the British embassy
in New York before moving to Southbury, CT where she lived in the charming little house that she helped
to design. After moving to Connecticut Paulina got a degree in Liberal Arts from Mattatuck Community
College (summa cum laude!). She worked over 30 years as facilities manager at River Glen, a
rehabilitation center. Paulina also did some private work taking care of the elderly and formed very close
relationships with them and their families. She was especially close to Eugene Newman and his family.
This relationship lasted with great mutual kindness to the end of her life.
Shortly after moving to Southbury tragedy struck in 1977. One day while they were traveling to a lecture
in New Jersey her mother, brother, daughter and new son-in-law were killed in a car accident by a drunk
driver. The lecture was to be given by her brother Leonard (Bruce) Hungerford, a gifted pianist and
amateur Egyptologist. Paulina handled this loss of her whole family, including her only child, with
amazing strength. She helped to preserve her brother’s memory by sending his piano recordings to the
University of Maryland and by finding a home for his work on Egypt at Yale.
This tragedy may have been what led her to continue to explore her spiritual questions through the
Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE) and Edgar Cayce after returning from a magical trip
to Findhorn, Scotland. (Her family originally came to Australia from Scotland in the 1800’s.) She worked
countless hours as a volunteer/coordinator for the ARE.
Paulina was a voracious reader starting in early childhood (a great hardship at the end of her life was her
inability to read as her eyesight diminished) and it was always fun to discuss many things with her
including US politics. In order to be able to participate Paulina at age 80 became an American citizen,
coming to Hartford with her friend Anna to take the test which she of course would pass.
In her last several years Paulina’s friends, especially Diana, Maria, Nina and Rolf, became also her
helpers. Her greatest helper, whom she thought of as a daughter, was Sherri Conroy, who offered help in
countless ways from helping Paulina move from her house to a smaller apartment, to taking her to
doctors’ appointments, to helping her with various necessary paper work and finally to doing the work of
an executrix. Paulina was very grateful to Sherri and her family, especially Sherri’s daughter Bethany.
Paulina leaves her much loved family in Australia, which includes a niece, Jo de Graaff (Allan Fathers),
great nephews Skipton Woolley (Stephanie DeCampo) and Llewellyn Woolley; a nephew Peter de
Graaff (Melody Perrin), great nephew Forrest Perrin de Graaff, and great niece Honi Perrin de Graaff; and
cousins Libby Haigh and Nerrida Mosley. Additionally, she leaves her very dear friends in the United
States, Tom Newman, Jolie Newman, and Tom’s sons Jake and Miles (who thought of Paulina as a
grandmother).
She has deeply touched the lives of so many and will be greatly missed.

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