Paula died peacefully at home on March 15 after a long and difficult struggle with complications related to Parkinson’s Disease. She was surrounded by her immediate family: husband, Mel; daughter, Kimberly Ayl; son, Jonathan Feldman; and granddaughter, Olivia Ayl. She was 85.

Paula grew up in Columbus, Ohio, in the warm embrace of her parents, Min and William Goodman, and her older brother, Victor. In addition to her immediate family, Paula was surrounded by doting grandparents, aunts, uncles, and countless cousins who together formed a heimish universe.

Paula attended Columbus School for Girls, where she excelled academically and competed with distinction as a swimmer and equestrian. After graduating from Ohio State University, Paula moved to Washington, D.C., where she taught at a Conservative Hebrew dayschool and met and married her beloved husband, Mel. In 1968, the young couple and daughter, Kimberly, moved to Encino, and three years later relocated to Corona del Mar. Paula went on to earn a master’s degree with honors in education from Cal State Fullerton.

Paula found her professional calling as a private learning specialist and educational consultant in the mid-1970s, and as an early member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Paula worked tirelessly and with joy, traveling the country and throughout Europe visiting private secondary schools and residential treatment and wilderness programs on behalf of students of all abilities and from every walk of life. She cherished the relationships that she forged with her students, with prep school deans, admission heads, and cowboy therapists.

For all her many professional accomplishments, Paula’s first love was for her family and the garden that she tended at home inspired by frequent travels throughout Italy.

May her beautiful memory be for a blessing.

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Service will be at 2:00pm on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at Pacific View Memorial Park. There will be a livestream of the service which can be viewed here: LIVESTREAM 

Those wishing to memorialize Paula by way of a charitable donation are encouraged to consider the following:

HOAG HOSPITAL FOUNDATION (Designation: Hoag at Home)

IECA FOUNDATION

PARKINSON'S FOUNDATION