John Peter Paulsen Jr

PAULSEN HEINZ HANSEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 11/24/2010 at 20:27:56

Sioux City Journal
29 September 2010

ANTHON, Iowa -- John Paulsen Jr., 75, of Anthon died Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, at a Sioux City hospital.

Memorial services will be 7 p.m. Thursday at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Anthon, with the Rev. Ben Wilson officiating. Military rites provided by the American Legion McNiff Post 389 of Anthon will follow the service Thursday at the funeral home. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

John Peter Paulsen Jr. was born July 7, 1935, on a farm near Oto, Iowa, the son of John Paulsen Sr. and Helen (Heinz) Paulsen. The family then moved to a farm near Sioux City and next to the home farm northwest of Danbury, Iowa in 1961, where he grew up. He first attended country school and later graduated from Anthon High School with the class of 1955. He served in the U.S. Army in 1956 and 1957, spending one year in Germany.

He was united in marriage to Norma Jean Hansen on June 8, 1958, at the United Methodist Church in Anthon. His life's work was in farming.

John loved his antique tractors, some which he traveled to Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana to find and truck home. He enjoyed the tractor and trashing shows, taking a John Deere tractor to several of the first John Deere expos. He was known for the half size scale model John Deere 4040 tractor he built, putting on more than 40,000 miles taking it to shows for 22 years in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. John also built one-eighth scale size model tractors and a Caterpillar, which he took to many toy shows as well as the tractor shows. He enjoyed the friends he met at shows through the years.

John was a farmer, builder, worked for several John Deere dealers in Anthon and had his own repair and paint shop for several years. He was always building something including putting together hundreds of one-sixteenth size toy tractors for Gilson Riecke.

He was a member of the Western Iowa Antique Tractor and Engine Club and the Antique Caterpillar Owners Club.

He is survived by Norma, his wife of 52 years; a brother, Donald Paulsen of Correctionville, Iowa; a niece and her husband, Janet and Jim Trimpe of Anthon; along with cousins and good friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice of Siouxland.