Arnold Chris Carl Paulsen, 94, of Greenbank, passed away peacefully in his home on July 27. He was the husband of the late Betty Ann (Heller) Paulsen, married on April 27, 1956.
Arnold was born on July 27, 1923, to John H. Paulsen and Augusta (Ehlers) in Columbus, Neb. He was drafted into the United States Army on May 19, 1945, and served in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and was deployed to Germany during WWII, where he served as an ambulance driver for the 510th Medical Collecting Co. He was awarded the World War II Victory Ribbon and Army Occupation Medal (Germany) and was honorably discharged Sept. 30, 1946.
Shortly after returning home to Nebraska, Arnold and his new bride moved to Seattle to work for Boeing, then later with Seattle Bronze, where he was a part of a team that worked on the Bubbleator (bubble-shaped elevator) in the center house and parts of the Space Needle for the 1965 World’s Fair.
He moved on to work for a startup company, Genie Industries, in 1966 and retired in 1988. Upon retiring, he moved to Greenbank on Whidbey Island to a home and shop lovingly built by himself with the help of family. He never really retired, as he loved puttering in his shop, creating inventions or gifts for family members and fishing in the Puget Sound.
Arnold was a loving father, brother, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. He is survived by his daughters Nancy Selix (Brian) and Linda Lutch (John); son Karl Paulsen; grandchildren Christopher, Joseph, Timothy, Andrea (Eric), Mark (Kim), Robert (Erin), Elizabeth (Nathan), Michael, Samantha (Anthony) and Beth Ann; great grandchildren Lucas, Madeline, Marlee and Sayda; sisters Betty Wullschleger (Raymond) and Nadine Magsamen (Kenneth); and brother-in-law Kenneth Christiansen along with numerous nieces and nephews.
We will all dearly miss Arnold. He loved sharing stories of his life, playing poker and watching Cornhusker football, but most of all he loved being surrounded by his family.
Graveside services will be held 11 a.m. August 13 at Bayview Cemetery in Bayview, Wash. A celebration of life will follow at the American Legion Post #141 14096 WA State Route 525, Langley, WA 98260.
