Hi there. My name is Paul. It’s good to meet you. Just one thing that you should probably know up front, and it doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you, but you see, I’m, well, I’m dead. Don’t let that distress you. I’m fine with it, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably OK too. Perhaps if I told you a little bit about myself, that would help; and that is something that I am always glad to do - help.
I was born in the great state of Nebraska. The name of the town doesn’t really matter because you have to live in Nebraska to know where it is anyways. Anyhow, I was born to Hattie and Axel Pearson, who had three other boys - yes, all boys - my older brother Neil, and my two younger brothers Daryl and Allan. We all worked hard on the farm growing up until us younger three enlisted in the military. But I get ahead of myself, because here comes the most important part, at least to me.
I met the girl of my dreams just down the road from the farm, so to speak. I really fell in love with her, so much that, not only did I sneak hamburgers up to her room after curfew at the college she was at, I asked her to marry me. And you know what? She did. Her name is Linda. She passed away a few years back from here, so I’m very happy that I get to join her again.
Anyways, we got married, went to Niagara Falls on our honeymoon, and then went wherever the Air Force told me to go. One place was in New York, one was in Louisiana, but the most memorable was England. We had a lot of fun over there, even though I was a Morris Code Interceptor - that’s super secret stuff, at least at the time. And we experienced some bad times as well, like the night we were at the movies watching From Russia with Love and the movie stopped and a message on the screen told all service members to report to their units. When my friends and I dropped off our wives at our apartments, we found our landlord crying on the front steps. That’s how we found out that President Kennedy had been assassinated.
When my enlistment was up, Linda and I moved to Salt Lake City to be close to her family, who were all just the greatest folks to raise our family around. Oh my gosh, let me tell you about them. First there’s my son, Randy. I am very proud of him and all of the things that he’s done. Mostly, I enjoyed his baseball and soccer games, and working with him in Scouting - he’s an Eagle Scout ya know - and the family that he has gone on to raise. His wife, Lesa, and my grandson Jesse and granddaughter Holly are just great and I enjoyed every time they came to visit. Then there’s Terri. She worked so hard in school, well beyond anything that I could ever do. In fact, she met her husband Dave, at Westminster College over on the east side of the city. They had the first big wedding in the family at the same church that Linda and I got married in, years earlier. They have lived a lot of places, and over those years they had my first grandson, Andrew, and then a little later, my granddaughter, Ashley. I also loved to see and hug them whenever they came to visit. Last, but certainly not least, is my baby girl, Polly. I just love being her Dad, even though that may have gotten me ejected from one or two of her basketball games. She was a great student too, and did some big things like living in Chile to immerse herself in Spanish, and then going to Iowa, where she studied and became a teacher. Polly and her wife, Ali, have been together for a long time now and over those years they have gone on to raise my granddaughters Sophie and Finley - they’re just so cute - and my grandson Crosby, who’s wicked good at sports. The bonus with them is that I got to live with them for 12 years, and be a first hand witness to the magic that is this great Pearson family.
Over my life I’ve been a farmer, a football player, an Airman, a milkman, a forklift operator, THE top manager of McDonald’s all over the valley, and an office manager for a garage door company for something like 30 years. I’ve been a coach, scout leader, a short-order cook, a husband, a widow, and my kids’ number-one fan. I even sang in a Barber Shop Quartet for a while. I survived stomach ulcers that bleed me to the brink, heart problems, back problems, and my wife’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. I got to raise my children and watch them raise theirs. Heck, I even took care of my mother-in-law until she passed away. I’ve enjoyed the company of many great friends all along this journey, and I am happy to have been able to spend so much time with them all.
So I understand that all this can seem a little hard to give up, and don’t get me wrong, it is. But it’s OK. I had a beautiful life filled with love, kisses, and hugs — looking back, I guess I gave a lot of those. And in the end, that’s really what its all about. If I didn’t get the chance to give you a hug while I was here, I think that you will like starting that trend yourself. Give it a try, it works miracles. Well, I’ve talked a lot, but I hope it helped to make you feel better about this. I know that it helped me. So, until we meet again, help each other out, share an ice cream, visit with a friend, or maybe try out that hug advice. Just remember, God Loves You and So Do I (GLYASDI).
An evening viewing for Paul will be held Sunday, October 8, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 2500 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT. A viewing prior to funeral service will occur Monday, October 9, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM, 2500 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT. A funeral service will occur Monday, October 9, 2023 at 11:00 AM, 2500 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, UT. An entombment will occur Monday, October 9, 2023 at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek, Utah 84106.
Serving as pallbearers are David Humphrey, Randy Pearson, Andrew Humphrey, Jesse Pearson, Crosby Pearson-Terry, Allan Pearson, Daryl Pearson, Ryan Terry and Peter Chamberlain.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wasatchlawn.com for the Pearson family.
Service streamed: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5voFPlcChE0_itwa575nag/featured
