John Paulson

MADISON
John Walter Paulson, Sr., age 91, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, Wednesday, January 4, 2017. He was born on May 13, 1925, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, to Arthur and Amanda Paulson (Johnson). He had happy memories of playing marbles with his friends, shooting his BB gun, and riding around in his Dad's Wippet.

After he graduated from high school in 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Navy and went on to serve his country during World War II. He served on the U.S.S. LST Number 924 in the South Pacific, specifically the New Hebrides Islands (now known as Vanuatu). He was the ship's radio operator. He once witnessed a Japanese kamikaze pilot dive into a nearby ship. He also admitted to swimming in shark infested waters without knowing there were predators present. After World War II ended, he decided to take advantage of the GI Bill and go to college to study Engineering. He started in mechanical engineering but decided that his path lay in chemical engineering. He graduated from the U.W. Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1951. Prior to graduation, he met the love of his life, Elizabeth C. Paulson (Johnson), "Yibba," at a college dance, in Stevens Point, and they were married on August 23, 1947. John began his engineering career working for the DuPont Company in New Jersey. After a year, the couple decided to come back to their home state of Wisconsin where John took a job with the Ray-O-Vac Corporation in Madison. They settled in Indian Hills and over the next six years, had two boys and two girls. A few years later, John took a job with the Beloit Corporation and the young family moved to Beloit. In 1968, the Beloit Corporation closed its doors and the family headed back to Madison where they resided for approximately 25 years. During those years, John returned to work for the Ray-O-Vac Corporation and retired from the company in the early 1990s. John also held some patents on work that he had done. After John retired, he and Yibba packed their bags and headed for sunny Summerville, Florida. They went on to have 23 very happy years in Florida, making many new friends. Due to poor health and advanced age, they found themselves back in Madison in December 2014 where their oldest daughter, Carrie, has been managing their care.

John is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Elizabeth; two sons John W. Paulson, Jr., (Cindy) of Stoughton; Tad A. Paulson of Monticello; and two daughters Carrie E. Poole (Todd) of Madison and Lori A. Price (David) of Sun Prairie. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by an infant brother and sister, Donald and Gracie, and his mother and father.

John will be remembered for his great sense of humor, particularly with puns, his service to our country, and his many stories of his childhood.

The family wishes to thank the Brookdale Assisted Living North and West staff, the Veterans Administration Home-Based Care medical team, the Agrace Hospice staff, and the Alzheimer's and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin (ADAW) for the care and assistance they provided for John over these last few years. We could not have made it through this time without their help.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison. Family will greet friends one hour prior to service. A reception will follow. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, donations may be given to the William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Agrace Hospice, Inc. and ADAW on behalf of John.

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Cress
Funeral and Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
608-238-3434