Obituary: Leif Abel Paulsen

1969 ~ 2004

Leif Abel Paulsen, age 35, of Salt Lake City, Utah passed away Friday, September 17, 2004.

Leif was born March 31, 1969 in Salt Lake City, UT to Carl Bergstedt and Carol Jean Stewart Paulsen. On June 26, 1992, He married Lisa Moench in the Salt Lake Temple.

Here's the problem - if Leif were writing his own obituary, it would be hilarious. You would be emailing copies of it to all of your friends, after inserting the caption, "Is this guy for real?" Yes, he is "for real." Humor is such a magnificent part of Leif's personality. Everyone who knows Leif can tell some great stories.

Leif took "serving others" to another level. First and foremost, Leif considered it a privilege to serve his eternal companion, Lisa, who survives him. When Leif and Lisa went on mountain hikes during their courtship, Leif never imagined how his roles as husband and father would be different from others. After their marriage Lisa became dependant on a wheelchair due to a rare degenerative disease. True to his character, (Leif would say his "Norwegian" character,) without ever a complaint and with many a joke he assumed many of the responsibilities traditionally performed by mothers in the care and nurturing of their three children, Leif Abel Paulsen, II (age 8), Stein-Erik Paulsen (age 6), and Gretchen Ingrid Paulsen (age 5). Everything he did was for their benefit, and he frequently said he could just "inhale" them.

Leif was so full of goodness and life. He loved to hug and squeeze his wife and children (and even YOUR wife and YOUR children, within reason, of course.) We will miss his open and honest expressions of love.

Leif had a passion for computers and a talent to fix them. He spent much of his free time helping family members and friends answer the ever too common question, "What in @#%$ is wrong with my computer?" His rates were just too good to pass up free. In fact, the motorcycle accident that took his life occurred late at night as he was returning from working on a client's computer.