It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beautiful mother who made her final journey on June 24, 2026, while battling cancer.

Mom was born September 12, 1952, in Hoopa, Calif., to Paul and Paloma Masten. She was a very proud Hoopa Tribal Member who always found a moment to talk about where she was from. She came from a large family with 10 siblings, all of whom she was very close with. Anytime she would go to visit, they would all sit around and catch up like she never left home.

It’s hard to sum up her life in a short summary, but what we can tell you is that she loved hard. She loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved her animals and more than anything in this world she loved her children and her grandchildren. She was proud of every single one of them. Through the ups and the downs, she was always there to support and uplift.

Not only did she love hard, everyone who had the pleasure of knowing mom loved her as well. Mom had the biggest heart and everyone knew it. She was kind, compassionate and didn’t have a judgmental bone in her body! She always had words of wisdom for everyone and sometimes you didn’t always know where it was going, but the impact she had on everyone who had the pleasure of receiving her words of wisdom were pretty darn lucky! 

Paulette married Duane James Bowie, Sr., in her early 20s and gave her eldest son five siblings: two daughters and three brothers. Mom went on to have one more son, completing her little tribe of seven children.

It was in the early 80s that she met Melvin James Jr. (aka: Yo-Yo) who she spent 18 years with and got three more bonus kids and some bonus family members from the James and Seidner families. There are too many to list, but you know who you are and just know she loved her time with all of you. 

Paulette is survived by her children Duane “Bow” Bowie, Jr (Georgina), Jimmy Bowie (Katie), Teresa Ballew (Joe), Edward “Gusto” Bowie, Henry James, and her bonus kiddos Tony James and Hazel James; her sisters, Cindy Benson and Millie Hostler (Boozer); brother-in-law “Shady” Calvin; her grandchildren Harinay Aubrey, Eddie Bowie, Shyarra Bowie, Lillian Bowie, Joseph “Joe Joe” Bowie, Nora Lynn Bowie, Joseph Bowie, Jacob Bowie, Trinity Bowie, Autumn Bowie, Jimmy (Jim Jim) Bowie, Payton Ballew, Kikia Ballew, Na-res Ballew, Keeshan Ballew and Aaniyah “Boo” Brenard; and great grandson Zayden Roberts. There are far too many nieces and nephews to write. Just know she loved every single one of you with her whole heart.

To all friends and family, funeral services will be held at the Neighborhood Facilities in Hoopa on Sunday, July 12, at 11:30 a.m. A celebration of life will follow the services at the Hoopa Fire Department Hall at 1 p.m. Please bring your favorite dish and story to share.

Our family would like to extend our deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Hospice House for their care and compassion in our mothers final days.  

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Paulette Masten Bowie’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.