Anita Marie de Campi Roemheld Paulet, a woman of wit and courage who came with her husband to Florida just prior to World War II and never returned to her northern home, died early Sunday morning (April 2, 2006), She passed quietly in her sleep with her family at her side and under the loving care of the Pearl Team of LifePath Hospice of Tampa and family. She was 98.
Born in Chicago on Sept. 19, 1907, Anita was the daughter of well-known Chicago engineer and bridge builder Jules E. Roemheld and Anita de Campi Roemheld, artist and journalist.
Her education included Visitation Academy , St. Louis, Mo.; Starrett School for Girls, Chicago; University of Illinois in 1927; University of Wisconsin (1928-1930, where she majored in journalism); and McCormick Business College, Chicago, in 1931.
After her schooling, Anita carried on not only the name but also the occupation of her mother, a widely-known post-WWI editor of a popular decorating column in the Chicago Tribune . At one time, her mother was the paper's society and fashion editor and drew full-page illustrations of mechanical toys for the Tribune. Additionally, she published a series of Mother Goose nursery rhymes and pen-and-ink illustrations for a special-edition fairy tale collection by George Faulkner. Her mother died in 1927.
And for her daughter, also Anita, her biggest scoop came in 1938 when she worked for the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate at its New York Daily News office in New York City .
On July 31, 1938 the 30-year old journalist was a passenger on the Commodore Vanderbilt, a New York Central train, when it crashed into the rear of the Mercury, a Detroit-Cleveland express. She was among 17 occupants injured in the crash, which occurred in Rocky Ridge, near Toledo , Ohio .
According to her account, which appeared in the Aug. 1, 1938 Daily News , under her byline "Anita DeCampi," the crash threw her under a seat, opening two deep gashes in her right leg. Nevertheless, the plucky young reporter hobbled uphill, searched out a nearby farmhouse, and telephoned the story into her newsroom.
In 1941, she left her journalism career and relocated to Tampa with her new husband and former grade-school friend, Fred J. Paulet. Fred had taken a supervisor position at the Tampa Shipyard. After World War II, he operated an Army surplus business, then went into home building. The couple eventually settled on several acres in what was then "out in the country," miles of orange groves and an occasional farm. Today it's known as Carrollwood. This where built she built her family.
When her children grew up (daughter Alma and son Jules Lee), she went to work at the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1966. One of her closest friends throughout the eight years she worked there and until her death, was Jackie Rozaer Freeman, who described that period:
"At that time the office was officially labeled the Registrar's Office, and Anita worked in the admissions area. She began as an application clerk. One of her favorite things to do was collect and sort unusual or novel names she happened upon on the applications for admission.
"After a very short while, she became secretary to the Director of Admissions. The first was Eugene L. Roberts, and then, when he left the university to run for public office, Anita worked for David C. Jordan, and later for Robert Levitt. She left to enjoy time with Fred, Jules Lee and her animals. We certainly missed her and the quality of her ways.
"To me personally, she was a friend who listened with her heart. She was that way with others. I recall one young woman who worked in the office while her husband was going to school. The woman wrecked her bicycle, which was her primary means of transportation. They had no extra money. So Anita took the bicycle to the repair shop, had it fixed, and of course paid for it herself. She was always helpful and concerned about others."
Anita was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. For many years she was an active member and former officer in the Tampa Chapter of American Association of University Women (AAUW).
Survivors include her son, Jules Lee Paulet, and his wife, Betsy Bolger-Paulet, Tampa; a daughter, Alma P. Smith, widow of Tampa educator Clayton Smith; two granddaughters, Kathleen E. "Kathy" Floyd, Tampa , and Mary Elizabeth Paulet. La Jolla , Calif.; two grandsons, Clayton Smith Jr., Christopher Smith and Stephan Smith, and a great-granddaughter, Carla M. Ware, all of Tampa; two great-grandsons, Claude M."C.J." Ware Jr., Tampa, and Adam Smith, Fort Worth , Texas; and two great-great-grandchildren, Donovan and Adrian Jennings, Tampa.
Funeral Mass was Friday, April 7, 2006 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Tampa, with private burial at family plot in Carrollwood. Florida Mortuary was in charge of arrangements. Donations to LifePath Hospice, 4010 West Azeele St., Tampa 33609.
