Obituary of Daniel LeRoy Paulsen

Daniel LeRoy Paulsen peacefully passed away surrounded by family in Surprise, Arizona on December 5th at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Karen; daughter, Anne; sons, Joe and Rick; and 10 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters, and daughter, Jorie.

After High School, Dan attended Purdue University prior to going into the Army. He served in Korea before returning to the states and meeting his wife. They married in 1964 and started a family in 1968 with their sons, Joe and Rick, in Chicago, Illinois. Their family grew in 1969 with the birth of Jorie and then again in 1975 welcoming Anne before moving to Glendale, Arizona in 1978.

His main passion was for Mopar cars, and over the years he could be found working on his numerous car projects. He shared this love with his son-in-law, Parish, and together they worked on restoring the family’s 1971 Dart. It was his mother’s car, and he was thrilled to see it shine once again. One thing Dan recently treasured was being able to bring his grandkids into their great-grandmother’s car for a joy ride.

Dan had a love of storytelling and jokes. He was animated and excited as he shared his stories about his life experiences. The most memorial part of his career was working to keep pilots safe with impact resistant aircraft cockpit glass. Dan ran the “Clucker Chucker” and made a hilarious video to match his hard hat that was appropriately decorated with a chicken cut out. Dan kept his sense of humor even when he was in the hospital ER with a broken femur, bringing up that he never was able to research Ben Franklin’s short story about flatulence. Thankfully, the ER’s Wi-Fi allowed a quick search, and he was able to hear the hilarious letter. Dan brought yet another laugh just days before his passing.

Dan loved the Lord and found salvation through Jesus. He was an inspiration to many and each of them have their own special story of Dan. His legacy and love of laughter will live on through them.

A Graveside Service with Military Funeral Honors will be held from 2:00 - 2:30 PM on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ.