Erva Claire Paulus

Erva Claire Paulus, 77 Erva Claire "Nikki" (Wilson) Paulus, 77, died Saturday, March 8, 2008, at her home in Apache Junction following an extended illness. She and her identical twin sister were born on Oct. 14, 1930 in a neighbor's ranch house, east of Sundance, Wyo., to Erva Claire (Ives) and George Fearn. Their mother died shortly following their birth. Their father, unable to care for the two infants, consented to their adoption by his wife's sister Winifred Beatrice (Ives) and her husband the Rev. Albert Dewey Wilson, a Methodist minister. Due to various church assignments, the family lived in several different communities throughout Wyoming and Colorado.Mrs. Paulus was a 1949 graduate of Vernon High School, Vernon, Colo. On May 9, 1950, she married Fred Odell Hixon. The couple had two children, Judith Ellen and Bruce Gary. The couple divorced in 1972. In 1977, she married John Philip Paulus in Maryland. Mr. Paulus preceded her in death on Jan. 3, 2001 in Apache Junction.Mrs. Paulus and her first husband moved from Colorado to the east coast in the late 1950s, living in Newark, Morristown and Ironia, N.J., and later in Towson, Md. Besides being a homemaker, she worked as a billing clerk for a hospital in Towson. Following her marriage to "Phil," the couple lived in Parkville, Md., until 1989, when they moved to Apache Junction. Mrs. Paulus was a direct descendant of six of the passengers on the Mayflower and was eligible for membership in the Mayflower Society. She enjoyed making miniature homes and decorating her home and yard for Christmas.Besides her husband, Mrs. Paulus was preceded in death by her biological parents, her adoptive parents, and two brothers, Royce Charles Fearn, who died in infancy, and Albert Dale Wilson. She is survived by her daughter, Judith (Jerry) Adams of Apache Junction; son, Bruce (Frances) Hixon of Plymouth, Minn.; seven grandchildren, Kerin (Jeremy) Jackson of Salida, Colo., Kathie (Ryan) Smith of St. Paul, Minn., Bryndan Adams of Grand Junction, Colo., Mae Mary Hixon of Minneapolis, Minn., Terrynce (Gina) Adams of Mesa, Jordan (Sara) Adams of Delta, Colo., Nathan Adams of Apache Junction; one step-grandson, John (Charissa) Fuller of Plymouth, Minn.; one great-granddaughter and two step-great-grandchildren. Other survivors include two sisters, Alice Lorraine "Mikki" Arnspiger of Apache Junction, Mildred Post of Reno, N.V.; brother, Don E. (Jerilyn) Wilson of Longmont, Colo.; an uncle Myron (Marilyn) Ives of Clarinda, Iowa; an aunt-in-law Edna Ives of Delta, Colo.; a nephew-in-law Neal (Mary) McGarity of Trumbull, Conn.; and numerous other nieces, nephews and cousins.Cremation was entrusted to Apache Junction Mortuary. On March 11, family and friends gathered at Mrs. Paulus' home for a celebration of her life.