Obituary of Paula Rae Mellard

On June 19th Santa Cruz lost one of its precious treasures when Paula Purebred left this earth on her next adventure. She fought a brave battle against lung cancer for 6 months and passed peacefully at home, surrounded as always by her children, grandchildren, dogs, and so many who loved her. Paula Rae Mellard was born in Pocatello Idaho February 3, 1946. She was raised in San Jose and graduated from Mother Butler’s Memorial High School. She has a big family in Bali, as her brother Tim Watts had moved there in the early 70's, and often went to visit. One time spending over 6 months there coming home with a fresh perspective on life. Paula has lived in Santa Cruz since the 1970s. Back in the day, she was one of the true Santa Cruz Mountains hippie moms. Stagnant Funk wrote a song about her called “Paula Purebred” for her mix of her sedate background and her wild ways. She was the den mother for her son’s cub scout troop, made needlepoint guitar straps for her many musician friends, and sold many products and herbs from the mountains. She was one of the great grassroots entrepreneurs. Paula was a Notable Character. The "IT" girl. The life of the party! Boogie Bruce called her the Queen of our Scene. Her house was the gathering place for the tribe. If you stayed in her living room long enough. You would see everyone you wanted to see in Santa Cruz. It was always party time. While Paula was doing business, you could kick back with friends or family. She was a tiny dynamo, handling the whirl of everything and everyone in her life with a big smile on her face. She had so many friends from so many different walks of life. Her phone had more contacts than most businesses. Paula’s friends and family have hundreds of stories. We will never run out of them. Paula was magical, a legend. Unique and rare, making everyone in her orb feel part of her experience. She touched so many lives with her boundless generosity and her open heart. Nurturing many local struggling artists and musicians. She was always willing to help and someone you could always count on. She did not hesitate to help her friends and family, supporting them through thick and thin. Paula was an amazing mother, grandmother, and a true friend. Her most recent venture was co-founding Team Just Us, a group providing meals to the unhoused in our community. Team Just Us has been going strong for almost 5 years. "Scoop,” as she was known there, worked very hard to make it a "well-greased wheel". She is survived by her brother Tim Watts. Her three children; Eric Irwin, Amber Harris, Brandon Irwin and his fiancé Colette. Her grandchildren, who referred to her as Grazzy; Zach and his wife Cassandra, Kyle, Rider, Alex, Logan, her husband Luiz, and their son Luiz III. As well as cousins, nieces, nephews and countless close lifelong friends. She was preceded in death by her sister Linda Watts Powel. Paula’s family and friends would like to express their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the entire team at Hospice of Santa Cruz County. Their support and care helped make it possible for Paula to remain at home. A graveside ceremony will be held at Oakwood Memorial Park 3301 Paul Sweet Rd. Santa Cruz, CA on Wednesday August 2 from 10:00 to 11:00. Later that afternoon there will be a Celebration of Life from 2pm-ish to 6pm-ish at Paula’s home. Let’s throw Paula one last party for the record books!