Gone, but never to be forgotten

There are few people in the world who touched as many lives as Annamarie Padula. The longtime Pine Cove resident was known for volunteering in many local organizations and for being the go-to person to get things done. She was patient, always kind, and wasn’t afraid to work hard, especially when it was to help others. 

Often both Annamarie and her husband Lou would be seen on various volunteer organization boards and in the community helping with those organizations’ activities. Before calling Pine Cove their home, the Padulas lived in Lemon Grove in San Diego County — settling into Pine Cove full-time in the early 2000s. 

If finding your soulmate is real, the Padulas found that within each other at a young age. According to longtime friend Nancy Borchers, they’ve known each other since the age of 13, where they lived across the street from one another in their home state of New Jersey. Fast forward almost six decades to Nov. 24, 2020 when they celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. 

Annamarie wrote on her Facebook page that day, “Today Lou and I celebrate our 58th wedding anniversary. It has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride but we have always come through it together. He is the love of my life and always there for me. We have raised four amazing children, and they have given us eight grandchildren. This ride may not have been perfect, but it’s the one I chose to ride. I have no regrets and look forward to a few more anniversaries. I love you Lou.”

Borchers, who has known Annamarie since the 1970s, spoke of her in a phone interview over the weekend, sharing stories and tidbits of their 47 years of friendship.

Annamarie was a talented quilter, an amazing knitter, and very good at stained glass. She and Lou enjoyed traveling and did so with Borchers multiple times. 

“We traveled a lot together, and it was a lot of fun,” Borchers said. “It was just delightful. She’s my kids’ godmother and she’s the best person I’ve ever met in my entire life. She’s honest, reliable, loving, caring and capable. I knew I could always rely on her.”

Many organizations and members of the community have offered their memories and words of condolences as the news of Annamarie’s passing on Dec. 20 made its way around town. According to Borchers, Annamarie passed away due to complications of COVID-19 and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, which she had been fighting for eight years.

Annamarie started volunteering with the Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation in 2005. During her time with the organization, she helped with Jazz in the Pines, was involved in special events, associates’ meetings and donated to various auctions to help raise money for the foundation. One of her most well-known and popular donations being a home-cooked Italian dinner prepared by her and Lou.

Michael Slocum, president of the Associates said, “When I became president of the Associates, Annamarie was quick to politely guide me through procedures of our meetings. Whether I needed a document or copies of our meeting minutes, Annamarie asked no questions and supplied the information. The same was true with the needs of our special events. Annamarie always offered a helping hand.” 

Annamarie was the recording secretary of the Associates until the summer of 2018 when she decided to retire from that role to spend more time with her family, specifically her grandchildren. However, she asked to stay on the board of directors to continue to serve and be involved when she was able to do so. 

Marsha Lytle, former chairperson of Jazz in the Pines and past president of the Associates said, “Annamarie was always the first to volunteer and a diligent worker at any job she undertook. I always found her willing to help anytime she was asked.”

Due to her never-ending support, hard work and diligence, Annamarie was awarded the Associates Volunteer of the Year Award in 2017. She also won the Ernie Maxwell Community Spirit Award in 2014.

Annamarie also volunteered and held multiple board positions with the Mountain Quilters, Mountain Community Patrol, Pine Cove Property Owners Association, County Service Area (CSA) 38, Mountain Disaster Preparedness (MDP) and the Rotary Club of Idyllwild.

Thom Wallace, who served on boards with Annamarie for MDP, CSA 38 and the Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation said, “She was the most active volunteer of anybody I knew up here. She’ll be greatly missed. She was a great lady and it will be a tremendous loss for this community.”

Longtime local Marge Muir created a bond with Annamarie over the years. Muir is known in town as the go-to person for information. Due to Annamarie always following through with her word and being so involved with the community, Muir quickly realized that Annamarie was the other go-to person she could count on.

“I don’t know how many times people would come in to ask me about something, and I would give them Annamarie‘s phone number, because I knew if I didn’t know the answer, she did,” Muir explained. “One of the main things about her was she just got things done. I was fortunate enough to get to know her and that was a blessing.”

Pine Cove Water District General Manager Jerry Holldber expressed his gratitude for Annamarie coining her as a true Pine Cover, being so involved in the community where she lived for almost 20 years. 

“In all the volunteer groups I’ve been a part of, you always dream of somebody like Annamarie because she was a 100% doer,” Holldber said. “She was not just a joiner. She was a doer. She will truly be missed.”

Diana and Terry Kurr shared their sentiments via email Monday afternoon writing, “Annamarie Padula was a member of this community who will be irreplaceable. We have known her through the Mountain Quilters, the Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation and as a member of St. Hugh’s of Lincoln Episcopal Church. She was humble and generous in her contributions to everyone on this Hill. She was competent and brilliant in everything she contributed. She was the most prolific quilter in our club and her security quilts warmed the lives of many who never knew their origin. She was a one-of-a-kind lady, whom we all cherished. Our sympathy to her husband Louie and her loving children and grandchildren. She was strong until the end and never stopped sharing her talents.”

Stephanie Yost of the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) wrote in an email, “I was shocked and saddened when I learned of Annamarie’s passing. I first met Annamarie and Lou in 2019 when they came to support ICC’s new Monthly Community Lunch program. Since March 2020, when ICC took over sponsorship of the Feeding America food pantry program, I’ve had the privilege of working with them every month to help feed our community’s food insecure families. I last had the privilege of working with Annamarie just a few weeks ago on Dec. 1. She’s been an involved member of the Hill community for decades, including for fifteen-plus years with Feeding America. She will be sorely missed.”

Stories like this are multiplied over and over by many people. The constant thread through every person that had the fortune of knowing her was her kindness and true humanitarian heart that shined through. Annamarie worked tirelessly to help others and it made a lasting impression on countless individuals, organizations and the entire community.