Joan "Pauline" Niven

Mrs. J. Pauline Niven died peacefully in her sleep with her son at her side on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 in Rochester, MN. Pauline was born in the small town of Millom, Cumbria in northern England on August 23, 1929. A school teacher by training, she always delighted in telling stories of her early career travels to Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Kenya, Hong Kong and Switzerland. She married her husband, Alexander C. Niven PhD, and settled in Warson Woods, MO where she spent most of the remainder of her adult life. She served in the Kirkwood Public School District, and finished her career teaching French at Visitation Academy. Her friends and family knew Pauline as a proper British gentlewoman, who charmed everyone she met with her accent, manners, and conversation skills. She excelled on the tennis court, and her garden was her passion. Pauline prided herself for remaining the picture of health for many years, and was known for the long brisk daily walks that she continued until the last year of her life. She was fiercely independent, always busy, and never hesitated to speak her mind. Pauline leaves behind her son Alexander, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. She died from complications of COVID-19, and is finally at peace after a 5 year struggle with dementia. She will be buried with her husband in her ancestral family plot at Thwaites Church in Millom after the pandemic subsides. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Niven family; to share a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com