Loel LeRoy Paulson

December 8, 1937 ~ September 2, 2018

Loel Paulson, 80, Brandon, passed away while receiving hospice care at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 2, 2018.

Visitation with family present will be 1-3pm, Sunday, September 9, 2018, at Heartland Funeral Home. Memorial services will be 11am, Monday, September 10, also at Heartland Funeral Home. Inurnment will follow at Brandon Lutheran Cemetery.

Loel LeRoy Paulson, the only child of Arthur and Francis (Severson) Paulson, was born on December 8, 1937, in Arlington, South Dakota. He attended a country elementary school, and graduated from Arlington High School in 1955. Following his graduation, he worked for Town and Country Café while attending Nettleton Commercial College in Sioux Falls, SD, where he majored in accounting and graduated in 1958.

On June 6, 1959, Loel was united in marriage to Peggy Joan Christensen at First Presbyterian Church in Brookings, South Dakota. This Union was blessed with four children: Jodie, Lonnie, Lorrie and Jeanette.

Loel began his career with All American Transport in Sioux Falls in 1958. Then, in 1964, he became terminal manager with the company in Huron, South Dakota. After six years in Huron, he was transferred back to Sioux Falls, moving to Brandon, South Dakota where they lived for 48 years. He continued to work at American Freight for over thirty years where he made lifelong friends with his coworkers. Loel worked for University Physicians for a short time and retired from Yellow Freight after five years in 1999. His hobbies included fishing and collecting miniature trucks. He and Joan spent 15 years wintering in Arizona. He was a member of the Optimist Club in Sioux Falls and he volunteered for over 20 years with Make a Wish Foundation of South Dakota.

Loel was baptized at Faith United Presbyterian in Brandon. He passed away while receiving hospice care at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls on September 2, 2018, at the age of 80 years, 8 months and 25 days after a brief battle with cancer.

Loel will be deeply missed by his wife Joan, Brandon, SD; four children, Jodie (Jay) Holtz, Sioux Falls, SD, Lonnie Paulson and Alice Huth-Derrah, Glendale, AZ, Lorrie Sonnheim, Sioux Falls, SD, and Jeanette (Steve) Reiter, Sioux Falls, SD; seven grandchildren, Shannon, A.J., Micah, Brittany, Seth, Nathan, and Megan; two great-grandchildren, Jeremiah , Genevieve and one more great-granddaughter coming soon; sister-in-law, Jean Goedde, Goldendale, WA; brother-in-law, Jerry (Barbara) Christensen, Mission, TX; and other relatives and friends.

Loel was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers-in-law, Merlyn Petersen and Dr. Alton Christensen.

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