Delores Marie Paulsen, 91, of Iowa City
Obituaries · November 13, 2024
Delores Marie Paulsen, 91, of Iowa City, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Nov. 7, 2024.
She was born on Oct. 20, 1933, to Nellie (Crow) and George Fry in Kalona, Iowa. A devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Delores leaves behind a legacy of love, resilience, and cherished memories.
After graduating high school, Delores moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where she lived at the YWCA and pursued a career in cosmetology, attending beauty school.
She later settled in Iowa City, where she worked at the Blackstone Salon. Delores’s life changed in 1956 when she met the love of her life, Alvin C. Paulsen, on a blind date. The two married on Feb. 5, 1956, and Delores embraced her role as a farm wife, raising their four children with Alvin.
Throughout her life, Delores worked part-time at ACT as a processor, where she formed meaningful, lasting friendships.
Delores was a committed member of Bethany Lutheran Church of West Branch and took great joy in social activities, including attending Iowa Women’s basketball games and partaking in weekly pie days at Village Inn with her close friend and neighbor, Donna Crawford.
Delores is survived by her children, Rick Paulsen of West Branch, Jim (Deanna) Paulsen of West Branch, Sandy (Kelly) Stevens of Milan, Ill., and Patty (Steve) Yeater of Iowa City. She was a proud grandmother to Conor, Maggie, & Matt Paulsen, Luke Paulsen and Jess Fonseca, Nyle and Nolan Stevens, and Sam Lilienthal, Nick Yeater and Tory Yeater. She was a beloved great-grandmother to 10 great-grandchildren. Her younger brother, Daryl Fry of Rochester, Minn., also survives her.
Delores was preceded in death by her parents, Nellie and George Fry; her husband, Alvin, who passed in January 2000; her siblings, Alene Millice, Vera Semler, Arlo Fry, Earl Fry, and George Fry; and her dear friend, Donna Crawford.
Delores touched the lives of all who knew her with her kindness, dry humor, and unbreakable spirit. Her memory will live on in the hearts of her family, friends, and all who were privileged to know her. She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered.
Visitation was 9 to 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch. Funeral services followed at 11 a.m. at the church.
Burial was in the West Branch Cemetery in West Branch. The Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch is caring for Delores and her family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bethany Lutheran Church.
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