Dr. Paul Sherman Paulson's Obituary
Paul Sherman Paulson, MD (1928-2016)
Dr. Paul S. Paulson passed away in Green Valley, AZ, on June 12 at age 87. A beloved husband, father and a talented physician, Paul was born Oct. 21, 1928, in Turtle Lake, North Dakota. His father, Paul Paulson Sr., operated a livery and draying business in the small farming community together with Paul’s mother, Helen Lofthus Paulson, who made the best bread in town and taught all her children a deep love of music that sustained them throughout their lives. Paul was the youngest of three children.
Paul graduated from Augsburg College with a teaching degree in 1949. He taught high school in Climax, MN for one year and later chose to follow his brother into medicine. He attended the University of North Dakota from 1952-1954. He married A. Constance Rholl in 1954 and finished his studies at the University of Minnesota, obtaining his MD in 1956. Paul interned at Hennepin County Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.
After his duty as an Army Captain at Fort Lewis, WA, Paul moved his family to Seattle and took a residency in both Internal Medicine and Radiology at Virginia Mason and University of Washington, in Seattle. He was chief of radiology at Providence Hospital, Seattle, WA for 25 years and also served as chief of staff. Paul continued to work part time until fully retiring in May 2012 at the age of 83.
In 1988, Paul married Denise DesForges Coburn who shared his love of dogs and the outdoors. Paul and Denise moved to Spokane, WA in 2003, where they were closer to the family cabin built by his sons at Priest Lake, ID, and to his brother, sister and extended family in the Spokane area. In 2014, Paul and Denise bought a second home in Green Valley, AZ, where a final, major stroke on June 12, 2016, brought a quick end to a full and joyous life. Paul remains deeply loved and will be missed on this plane of existence by many.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Kristine, and his siblings, Eric E Paulson, MD and Helen Louise Landsverk, PhD.
Paul leaves behind his loving wife, Denise, his sons, Tom and Ken Paulson, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and many friends.
A celebration of his life will be held in Spokane, July 30, from 3-6 pm at the Red Lion Inn at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive, Spokane, WA 99201. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Paul S Paulson, MD can be made to Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Avenue, Box 142, Minneapolis, MN, 55454.
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