Central Church Senior Adult Ministry

The title of this story reflects the charming accent that Pauline Zehring brings with her from her native Virginia. Pauline comes to Central Church when she visits with her son and daughter-in-law, Ralph and Sandy Zehring. And she is a delightful addition to our Senior Adult Wednesday Activity group.

Pauline Rosamond Shelton was born in 1915 in Alexandria, Virginia. She is the third child of Bessie Rosamond Thomas Shelton and Charles Hugh Shelton. There were eight children in the family. Besides Pauline, there was Carlton Lewis, William Leo, Catherine Leigh, Gordon Ellsworth, and Lawrence Edward, called Mike. Two more, Channing, and Gladys Virginia, lived only a short time.

Pauline's father was a brakeman on the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Later, he worked as a painter at Camp Humphrey, which was later renamed Fort Belvoir. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. "Never in their lives did they drive a car!" Pauline declares. (We will hear more on that subject later.)

Pauline's schooldays began at Pohick Grade School in Pohick, Virginia. Pohick's claim to fame is that at one time, George Washington attended a church there. The school was a two-room building a mile walk from her home. The school included grades one through three and had no electricity or indoor plumbing. "My brother Carleton was my protector. Once, I fell and he came back and helped me up," Pauline recalls. It was in that two-room school that Pauline memorized the poem, Little Orphant Annie. And she can still recite it to this day - "with a little prodding," she smiles.

The year Pauline was in the fourth grade, she stayed the whole school year, September to June, in Washington, DC. She lived with an aunt and uncle to be a companion for their daughter, Mauline. Pauline remembers her fourth grade teacher, Iva Judge, with one forceful word - STRICT! Pauline went back home to Alexandria for school the next year.

When she reached high school age, Pauline enrolled in Alexandria High School. That school was later renamed George Washington High. When she was fifteen years old, romance entered the picture. Pauline and the boy who lived across the street, Ralph Zehring, the "good-looking boy with beautiful blond hair," fell in love. She left school to get married in 1930 and was renamed - Mrs. Ralph Daniel Zehring.

Her husband came from a family of ten children - two girls and eight boys. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. During their early-married life, Ralph drove a truck delivering bricks for Smoots Sand and Gravel Company. During the Depression, he lost his job, as did many others. "We lived for a time with his parents in Alexandria," Pauline said. Ralph eventually went to work for the City of Alexandria as Supervisor of Public Works. Pauline and Ralph had three children. First was Delores Jane, called Deedie. "Deedie called my mother Big Mama," says Pauline. That was how the little girl distinguished between her Mama and grandmama. Tragically, when Deedie was seven, she contracted diphtheria and went to be with the Lord. In time, another little daughter was born - Barbara Alicetine, whom they called Bobbie. Then came Ralph Lloyd, called Jack by his family.

After Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war in 1941, tiny Pauline went to work at the Naval Torpedo Plant. The crew consisted mainly of women with just a few men with families. "I worked on the starting gear of torpedoes until 1946," stated Pauline. In May of 1945 Ralph was mustered into the Army Air Force, then mustered out of service in August of 1946.

Pauline went to work for the government again in 1951. She worked as a microphotographer for the Department of Records branch of the Army, retiring after 25 years in 1976. The Department of Records later became a part of the National Archives.

In 1985 heartache hit the family again. Pop, as Pauline's husband was called, passed on. In spite of all the technological work she had done, Pauline had never driven a car.(Now where have we heard that before!) Without her husband to drive, she knew she had to get a driver's license in order to remain independent. So, at the age of 70, Pauline got that license and drove.

Driving helped Pauline maintain her ministry at Alexandria Bible Church. For many years she helped to prepare for communion services. She had to stop after leg surgery a couple of years ago.

Pauline is also very active in the New Alexandria Citizens Association. And in her spare time what does she enjoy? - SCRABBLE! She also does crossword puzzles to keep her mind active and it seems to be working perfectly.

Now, 90 years of age, Pauline is still able to live alone about half the year due to wonderful neighbors and the caring people of Alexandria Bible Church - and by spending alternating winters with her daughter, Bobbie, in Florida and son, Ralph, and his family in Germantown. At home in Virginia, Wednesdays find her at Women's Christian Fellowship, a group of Senior Adult women who meet for devotions and fellowship. "She is a real prayer warrior for her family. They are scattered around the country but she prays daily. All of them know the Lord," declares her daughter-in-law, Sandy. Bobbie lives in Ferandina Beach, Florida. She has two daughters, Jeannie and Holly. Jeannie and her husband, Hammond Gracy, have three daughters, Hannah, Abbey and Annie. Holly and her husband, Larry Keating, have two sons, Brent and Jake.

Ralph and his wife, Sandy, have been members of Central Church for several years. They have two sons, Kyle of Memphis and David of Franklin, Tennessee. Kyle and his wife, Charlotte, had one daughter, Kelsey Miles, who went to be with the Lord when she was seven years old. David and his wife, Linda, have two children, Hannah and Spencer.

And how did this petite, yet strong lady come to know the Lord? When her daughter Deedie died in 1939, a neighbor invited Pauline to go to church. The pastor consistently preached the Gospel. "The Lord spoke to my heart," Pauline remembers. She went forward at Rev. Norman Roberts' invitation and joined the Methodist Protestant Church on November 24, 1940. To the young she has this word, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Keep your faith in Him alone, not in material things."

This was a word Pauline had to trust in on September 18, 2003. Hurricane Isabel came up the East Coast bringing devastating destruction into Pauline's and many others lives. The tidal surge from the ocean pushed the Potomac River into her neighborhood and home. She had moved her car to higher ground but nothing could be done to keep the two feet of water from invading her home. She lost a lot of old family memorabilia, etc. For Pauline it was heartbreaking to let it all go at one time. "Next to the death of my daughter Deedie, the flood was the most traumatic event of my life," she declared.

Pauline had to stay of her house for seven months while it was being repaired. In March of 2004, she was finally able to move back into her restored and refurbished home. In spite of all the damage and the loss Pauline says, "The Lord had protection around that house. I praise the Lord for the many wonderful, kind, and caring people He put in my pathway. All I had to do was make my needs known."

With spring nearly here, Pauline is aoot of her winter abode in Germantown and has gone back aboot her life in Alexandria. Our message to you is "Come back soon, Pauline. You may be a very petite little lady, but you leave a big hole when you go back to ole Virginny!"