Barbara Grund Paolucci passed away peacefully at PruittHealth - Savannah on July 30, 2024, at the age of 84. She was born on December 5, 1939 to Eva Anna (Nail) and John August Grund and grew up along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama. In the late forties, the family moved back to Cullman, AL where she ultimately graduated from Cullman High School in 1957, then attended Florence State College. She left school after a couple of years and returned home to care for her mother who was gravely ill and then her father who was also seriously sick.  After their passing, while still a teenager, she was responsible for raising her two preteen age sisters Johnann and Brenda for several years until returning to school at Jacksonville State College. It was there she met Peter Paolucci from the Bronx, NY, on a blind date on January 12, 1963, while he was stationed at nearby Fort McClellan in Anniston, Alabama. They were married on September 12, 1964 in the University of Maryland Chapel in College Park, MD, and were together for almost 60 years. 

Barbara was a devoted daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, daughter-in-law and wife, who prioritized caring for her family her whole life. She supported her husband’s career with the Shell Chemical Company which involved moving 11 times to different assignments as well as regularly entertaining customers and their wives. 

Upon Peter’s retirement from Shell in 1997, they moved to the Historic District of Savannah, just off Troup Square, within walking distance of the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. She was a member of the parish for over 27 years, a member of the Parish Life and Christian Service Committees as well as a charter member of the Serra Club of Savannah, subsequently the St. John Vianney Vocations Ministry of Savannah.

She was a creative cook who could eat a tasty dish in a restaurant, ask the waiter about an unlisted ingredient and go home and cook the dish without a recipe. Although not of Italian heritage, she mastered that cuisine and even taught her mother-in-law how to make the family ravioli recipe. Over the years, many of her delicious gourmet meals were enjoyed by family and friends alike. 

Barbara was also a big time football fan with strong loyalties to the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Watching a game with her, you didn’t need instant replay as she usually got the disputed calls right.

One of the highlights of her life was enjoying 40 summers with her three sons and two grandsons at the family’s vacation home, a historic one room schoolhouse built in 1848, in Fryeburg Harbor, Maine. She delighted in touring the nearby White Mountains as well as the rest of Maine and New England, especially the many outlet malls.

Barbara particularly enjoyed being a grandmother, loved being called ‘Grammy’, but sometimes found it challenging to cope with being the only girl in the family. She had a great sense of humor, could banter with anyone and usually got in the last word. And she was a great dancer too!

She is survived by her 3 sons, Dr. Michael Paolucci (Diane), Peterjohn Paolucci (Russell) and Andrew Paolucci, plus her 2 grandsons, Thomas Paolucci (Ashley) and Daniel Paolucci (Shelby) and her sisters, Johnann Howell (Ben) and Brenda Averill (Larry).

A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date at Cathedral Basilica of St. John The Baptist.