March 11, 1956 — December 18, 2023
Paula passed peacefully on December 18, 2023, at Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee. She was born on March 11, 1956, in Petaluma, to World War II hero Frederick Charles Ostrom, and her outgoing mother Jacqueline Beatrice Landry Ostrom. She attended school in Colfax and graduated from Colfax High School in 1974.
Paula moved to Humboldt County to build a life with her young son. She managed a 70-acre horse boarding ranch in McKinleyville while working full-time outside the home. Paula was one of the very few women to begin work in the construction industry as a member of the Laborer’s Union. She also attended College of the Redwoods to obtain her Commercial Driver’s License. She was very proud of these achievements. Paula had an admirable work ethic, a deep love of animals, and enjoyed hosting parties and cooking. She was known to be a generous host who loved to put her culinary skills on display.
Before her father passed away, Paula and her youngest daughter moved to the cabin he had built in Sierra City. Paula lovingly renovated the cabin with the original hand-drawn floorplans from her father. She frequently visited Chico to care for her grandkids while her elder daughter attended university. She lived the remainder of her life in Sierra City, tending her garden, preserving her heirloom seeds, and cooking food from her harvests. She was a dedicated grandmother who enjoyed inventing games for her grandkids. Paula loved creating whimsy and magic at “Grammy’s Cabin.”
She is survived by her children: son Jacob Hester and daughters Jessica DePriest (Hester) and Riata Tidwell (Hester), as well as grandkids Hunter and AunaBella.