Pauline "Paula" Epstein (née Stolofsky; 1918–2004) was an American homemaker and school aide. Born in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents from Eastern Europe, her heritage was deeply affected by the Holocaust. She married Seymour George Epstein, a New York City parks groundskeeper, in 1938, and the couple resided in the Sea Gate neighborhood of Coney Island, Brooklyn. They had two sons: Mark Epstein (born 1946) and Jeffrey Epstein (born 1953), who later became a financier notorious for criminal activities. Pauline worked as an aide at a public elementary school in the Bronx for the New York City Department of Education, supporting her family's modest lifestyle while prioritizing her role as a devoted mother. Within her family, she was a significant influence, maintaining an affectionate relationship with her son Jeffrey, as recalled in a 2003 tribute book that highlighted milestones such as his piano and accordion performances at his bar mitzvah. In 1985, she and her husband traveled to Israel with Jeffrey, visiting relatives and staying at high-profile locations such as the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and the Plaza Hotel in Tel Aviv. She maintained close family ties throughout her life, living a relatively private existence centered on family and community in Brooklyn, away from public scrutiny. She passed away in New York in 2004 at age 86, fifteen years before the high-profile federal indictment and subsequent death of her son, predeceasing the scandals that would engulf him. Despite the controversies surrounding Jeffrey's later life, Pauline's own life remained unremarkable in the public record, focused on family and community.