David Finn Paulsen

David was born April 5, 1947, in Salt Lake City, UT, the oldest son of an oldest son, to Finn and Sarah Broadbent Paulsen. He was a proud graduate of Libby Edwards Elementary school—he sang the school song whenever he drove past, Evergreen Junior High where he learned to love reading in the library, and Skyline High School although his freshman through junior year courses were taken by correspondence from Curitiba, Brazil. He served in the National Guard and shared his repertoire of marching songs with whomever was jogging or hiking with him.

David began working in the family construction business at age 11, and after graduating from Brigham Young University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, he continued his career working for his father and Uncle Abel Paulsen. He partnered with Abel after the passing of his father. In his later professional career he was a project manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He traveled frequently to Central and South America and locations throughout the United States to oversee the construction of temples and other large projects.

David proposed to Deirdre Murray of Cherry Hill, NJ, in Philadelphia, PA. He loved to recall the irony that he “lost his independence at Independence Square, next to the Liberty Bell.” They married November 24, 1970, in the Salt Lake Temple and became the parents of five children.

David was the oldest of five children and as the only son, his first hobby was teasing his sisters Shauna, Margie, Susie and Louisa. It was a hobby he enjoyed his whole life, and he added his own children, his daughters- and sons-in-law, and his grandchildren to the circle of victims. A deeply thoughtful man with an unexpectedly consternating attraction to dad jokes, he repeatedly shared his favorites with the same twinkle in the eye and dry sense of humor as his Norwegian father and uncles.

David’s second home was among the people of Brazil. Often taciturn and thoughtful speaking in English, when speaking Portuguese with his Brazilian friends he could be gregarious. He lived there four times while serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including three years as a teenager with his family (1961-1964), two years as a full-time missionary (1966-1968), three years as a mission leader with his wife Deirdre in Curitiba, Brazil (1998-2001), and two years in temple service in Recife Brazil with Deirdre at the request of his life-long friend Gelson Pizzarani (2014-2015).

Obedience, duty, grit and leading by example mattered to him, and were the foundation for how he learned to love God and to love others.

For David, “life-long learner” wasn’t a goal to be set but simply who he was. A commute to work was a chance to learn about real estate law, history and philosophy from his carpool buddies. A few months of free Tuesday evenings was a chance to learn stained glass techniques and traditional Pennsylvanian barn motifs, to audit an art history class, to research the water management techniques of the early settlers of Utah’s deserts or to join a local hiking club. Chronic insomnia provided an opportunity to train for a marathon or get through the pile of waiting books to be read. He was frequently glad he remembered to bring a book along with him or regretted that he left his book behind.

David served his church and community in many ways, including as bishop to his local congregation, mission president in Brazil, Area Director of the My Hometown program, and secretary of his local chapter of the Sons of Utah Pioneers. Whether by sharing the wisdom of a life well-lived, or simply from the comfort of his steady presence, he will be missed by his family, his friends, his missionaries, and those of God’s sheep lucky enough to cross his path.

David is survived by his wife, Deirdre, and their five children: Sean (Barbara) Paulsen, Chandra (Scott) Raab, Scott (Sarah) Paulsen, Laura (Tyler) Howe, and Marissa (Luke) Henderson, his 4 sisters and his 17 grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 28th at 11:00 a.m. in the East Millcreek Stake Center, 3103 East Craig Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah. Friends may call at the same location on Thursday, April 27th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and Friday, April 28th from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Services will be broadcast at https://zoom.us/j/96976977744. Burial will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.