Cover photo for Faye Paulsen's Obituary
Faye Paulsen Profile Photo
1922 Faye 2019

Faye Paulsen

February 24, 1922 — November 30, 2019

Reinbeck

Faye Elinor Paulsen, 97, of Reinbeck entered into eternal life on Saturday, November 30, 2019 surrounded by her family at Parkview Manor while under the care of Cedar Valley Hospice.  Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 4th from 5-7 pm at the Abels Funeral & Cremation Service-French Hand Chapel in Reinbeck.  A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 5th at 10:30 am at the Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Reinbeck. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family who plan to purchase a motorized shopping cart for Trunck's Country Food store in Reinbeck in Faye's memory.  Messages of condolence for the family may be left for the family at www.abelsfuneralhomes.com

Faye was born on February 24, 1922 in Reinbeck to Elmer Rickert and Viola (French) Rickert.  She graduated from Reinbeck High School in 1939 and then pursued a career in nursing, attending Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Davenport, IA. On June 5, 1943 Faye married Gerald Paulsen at the Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Reinbeck.  They later divorced.  In 1952, she started working at the Grundy County Memorial Hospital and helped to implement the surgery department.  She spent 15 years there.  Faye then moved to Knoxville, IA and was employed at the Veteran’s Hospital for 20 years.  She was recognized for starting a music therapy program there for the veterans. Faye was devoted to her career and truly had a servant’s heart.

Faye loved people.  She had a way about her that made everyone around her feel special.  Part of that special feeling shone through in Faye’s hearty sense of humor.  She loved laughing and cracking jokes, even at her own expense.  Even though she was part of an earlier generation, Faye was an active user of Facebook and was well known for designing and mailing out her own computerized greeting cards to friends and family alike.

Faye’s personal faith was an important part of her life. She was a longtime member of the Union Congregational United Church of Christ. The vibrancy of her faith was obvious in the seemingly endless positive attitude that she developed and a true appreciation of the simple things in life.  When running errands in Reinbeck, Faye would always make it a point to drive past “her tree” on Randall St.  Her love extended beyond just the people in her life.  Dogs were a personal love of Faye, especially her beloved companion Max. Faye thoroughly enjoyed playing bridge, pepper, and pinochle with her many friends and family. She also found joy playing the piano and watching Lawrence Welk reruns.

Faye’s genuine kindness and deep love of her family and friends will always be remembered by those close to her.  Her gracious spirit is fondly remembered and will be greatly missed.  Faye is survived by her children Dan (Roberta) Paulsen of Tacoma, WA, Jane (Joe) Smith of Port St. John, FL, and Cathy (Delayne) Hopkins of Reinbeck, IA; her half-sister Sharon Boyce; her grandchildren Amy (Mike) Reed, Evie Paulsen, Mike (Sheryl) Voigts, Missy Voigts, David (Maria) Hopkins, Steve Hopkins and Laurie (Brian) Wallis; her great grandchildren Lilly Reed, Natasha, Reese, Nikolai, Maylee, Violet, Erik, Zoe, Daniel and Julianne Voigts; Carlos Hopkins, Gloria Rios,  and Hailey, Paiton and Brayden Wallis; special niece and nephews Terry Nelson, TS Roberton and Dean Ernst;   and her sisters-in-law Francis and Betty Paulsen and many other nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Carl Rickert; and her sister Lois Roberton.  The family would also like to thank Parkview Manor and Cedar Valley Hospice for their loving care of Faye over this past month.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Faye Paulsen, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

5:00 - 7:00 pm (Central time)

French-Hand Funeral Home

409 Clark St, Reinbeck, IA 50669

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Memorial Service

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Starts at 10:30 am (Central time)

Union Congregational United Church of Christ (Reinbeck)

IA

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