Pauline Lambertson

Pauline H. Lambertson, 90, of Punta Gorda, Fla., a former U.S. postal worker and an animal lover with a zest for traveling, died Monday in the Life Care Center of Punta Gorda.

Born Pauline Vorek in Manhattan, she was brought to West Brighton as a child. She lived in Prince's Bay and Huguenot before relocating to Punta Gorda in 2005.

She worked as a sorter at the U.S. Post Office for about 15 years. An avid gardener, Mrs. Lambertson was also a longtime member of the Staten Island Garden Club, where she created vivid flower arrangements.

In her leisure, she enjoyed knitting and crocheting, specializing in baby clothes. She passed on some of the hats, blankets and sweaters she fashioned to family, but also donated many of her creations to the poor.

Mrs. Lambertson was also a history bluff who relished reading non-fiction works about World War I and World War II. A lover of crafts, she kept a ceramics kiln in her basement and would pour her own molds, making sculptures from scratch. She especially loved crafting Christmas trees for family members during the holiday season.

She also loved all animals, especially the Chihuahuas, parakeets, canaries and finches she raised.

Mrs. Lambertson had a thirst for exploration and desired to visit new and exciting places. Throughout her life, she embarked on many voyages, both abroad and in the United States. She ventured to California, the Caribbean, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Austria and Germany in addition to traveling to France and Hawaii with her granddaughters.

She was devoted to all her grandchildren, especially Mary and Michele, 'her twins,' whom she helped raise, said her daughter, Renee Burke. They were very dear to her.

Her husband of 24 years, Henry, died in 1971.

Surviving, along with her daughter, Renee, is a son, Robert L. Baeza; a daughter, Penny Sidock; eight grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

The funeral will be Saturday from the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville, with a mass at 10 a.m. in St. John Neumann's R.C. Church, Greenridge. Burial will follow in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Services: St. John Neumann RC Church Saturday, June 15,2013 10:00AM

Visitation: Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home Friday, June 14,2013 2-4 & 7-9PM

Cemetery: Moravian Cemetery

Location: Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home

Church: St John Neumann RC Church