Pauline Avilda Littlewood, 95, of Vienna

»Information from the Advent Funeral and Cremation Services website.

Pauline was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts on March 5, 1920, the daughter of William J. Counter and Helen I. Ward. She was the middle of three sisters and grew up in the wild 20s and the 30s. She was pretty and personable and loved to go out with friends and have a good time. She could often be found on a Friday night at the Totem Pole Club dancing with her friends. Then the following Saturday morning she would be up bright and early cheering on the Weymouth High School football team.

At age 24 she married one of the star football players, William G Littlewood of Quincy, Massachusetts, and enjoyed a happy 25-year marriage. They were so much in love and when he passed away at a young 52 years old she found herself a widow at age 49. She never remarried.

Having been a hair dresser in her younger years working in Boston, she decided that she needed better income and benefits when her husband passed, and took a job working for Jordan Marsh in their warehouse ticketing and prepping clothing for shipment out to the retail stores.

She retired early at age 65 and began a 30-year life of charitable work with her church as one of the back room workers at Pennywise Thrift Shop in Vienna, Virginia, as a maker of prayer shawls for both St. Matthias in Midlothian, Virginia, and for Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia. She was also an active member of the Senior Saints group at Holy Comforter and never stopped her love of good company and good times.

She is survived by her son, Stephen W. Littlewood, who owns his own CPA practice in Washington, D.C., and by her grandson, Christopher A. Littlewood, and her grand daughter-in-law Katie Dietiker Littlewood of Chicago, Illinois.

When Chris was four years old, Pauline moved in with the family and enjoyed a long a blessed life living very close to her son and grandson as well as her daughter-in-law, Patricia A. Littlewood, until her passing in 2008.

Pauline was an avid reader and a great fan of the food channel. She also enjoyed watching golf and was one of the loudest fans at her grandson’s football, basketball, and baseball games. She got up every morning at 7 a.m. and filled her day with projects and her charities, never falling asleep before 11 p.m.

Pauline died in the faith of Christ. Her memorial service is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m. at her beloved Church of the Holy Comforter Episcopal located at 543 Beulah Road in Vienna, Virginia. There will be a reception following the service.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that you make donations in her memory to the Pennywise Thrift Shop and the Prayer Shawl Group, both ministries of the Church of the Holy Comforter. Also, please consider donations to the Capital Caring Hospice Group, which allowed her to pass peacefully and comfortably in her home surrounded by familiar things, her family, and her friends.