Pauline C. Dear

Pauline Carpenter Dear of Ithaca, New York, passed away in her home on July 10, 2026, at the age of 68.

Pauline was born on February 17, 1958, in Bethesda, Maryland, to Frank Carpenter and Angela Briefs Carpenter. At the age of five, her family relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she spent her childhood and formative years. She attended Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans where she had many friends and went on to graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA from LSU in Baton Rouge. Her passion for learning then took her to Princeton University, where she pursued graduate studies in the History of Science, winning the prestigious Nathan Rheingold Prize.

Following her time in graduate school, Pauline traveled the world extensively with her then husband Dr. Peter Dear, enjoying a time of deep exploration and discovery. She eventually settled in Ithaca, New York. Though her marriage ended, Pauline had fallen deeply in love with the Ithaca community and chose to make it her permanent, cherished home.

Pauline lived a life of the mind. She was a voracious reader, a talented seamstress, a dedicated gardener, an avid theater-goer, and a passionate explorer of the culinary arts. Even when personal struggles and health challenges limited her physical travels in later years, she remained curious about the world. She was a dreamer who loved imagining alternate worlds in both fiction and history. She was a great wit and could hold forth on any subject, in person and on Facebook.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Angela, and her sister, Louise.

She leaves behind her four siblings and their spouses: Christel Dawkins (Frank) of Lafayette, Louisiana; Bernard "Bernie" Carpenter (Cathy) of Rural Hall, North Carolina; Therese Kennedy (Pat) of Mount Airy, Maryland; and Dr. Joel F. Carpenter of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is also survived by a large extended family and her beloved cat, Katerina.

The dates for a memorial service and funeral have not yet been finalized.