Grace Paulson, 95 of Garden City, passed away on April 23, 2025 at her home at The Village at Harmony Hill in Watertown.
Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clark with Pastor Jody Peterson officiating the service. Burial will immediately follow the service at Rose Hill Cemetery in Clark. A time of fellowship will take place, and a meal will be served in the church fellowship area following burial. Visitation will be held the evening prior, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the Furness Funeral Home from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. led by Pastor Mark Tracy. Furness Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
Grace Alene Hartman was born to Willis J. and Esther J. (Minthorn) Hartman in Garden City on January 30, 1930. Having lost her mother at the age of eight, she and her siblings leaned on each other and grew to be very close friends—a bond which would hold them close throughout their lives.
They were raised in Garden City, and Grace was a proud graduate of Garden City High School with the Class of 1947. After graduating, she took the train to Riverside, Calif., to work as a nanny for the summer. She returned to South Dakota in the fall and took a job working at Brown Clinic in Watertown.
Shortly before leaving for California, she met a handsome young man Leonard at a dance in Garden City. She was united in marriage to Leonard A. Paulson on March 19, 1949, at the Methodist Church in Garden City. They made their home on their farm six miles northwest of Garden City, where together they worked and raised their six children. The farm was a happy place for so many—including their children and friends, nieces and nephews, neighbors and eventually their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Everyone was always welcomed to the farm with open arms.
In 1985, Grace and Leonard purchased their cabin on Lake Kampeska, a second home for them that became a second home for many years. Grace loved to sit on the dock or the porch at the lake and watch her kids and grandkids swim, boat, water ski, jet ski and tube.
While many summer weekends were spent at the lake, no event was bigger than the annual Fourth of July gathering. The day always started with lunch at noon, boating and swimming in the afternoon and ended with fireworks by the lake. Everyone was welcome, and Grace made sure that there was enough broasted chicken for all!
Grace and Leonard valued education and made sure that each of their children had the opportunity to attend college. It is no secret that many of their children and grandchildren chose to be Jackrabbits, and Grace was especially proud of the Paulson Family being named 'SDSU Family of the Year' in 2018.
Grace loved flowers, and she always had a colorful assortment of pots on her patio. She enjoyed music, singing in the church choir and playing piano for weddings and funerals in her younger years. She also was the best cook! Her family will especially remember her fudge brownies, her peanut butter balls and her roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy!
She was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clark, where she attended Circle, Ladies Aid, Bible Study and served as the first Chairman of the "Meatball Committee" for the annual Lutefisk Supper—a role which she held for many years. She will also be remembered for her lefse, which she always made with Mary Waxdahl, who lived directly across the road at the farm. In her earlier years at the farm, she was a member of the neighborhood 'Rainbow Club.'
Grace remained on the farm following Leonard's death in 1999 and moved to her Watertown condo in 2005, where she quickly made friends whom she clearly cherished. They gathered nearly every summer afternoon on her patio to share conversation and an ice cream treat. Grace moved to the Village at Harmony Hill in May of 2024 and once again was quick to form friendships with neighbors and staff. She was especially pleased when former condo neighbor Mick Dylla moved in just down the hall from her in the Fall of 2024.
No matter where she was living, Grace made special effort to stay in touch with those she loved, never forgetting a birthday, anniversary or special event. She never missed the chance to support her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren by attending their events—as big as a wedding or a graduation or as small as a choir concert or a ball game. Her family and those she loved will continue to feel her love and support for the rest of their lives.
Eternally grateful for having shared Grace's life are her six children: James (Colleen) Paulson of Garden City, Sandra (Larry) Keyes of Watertown, David (Tammie) Paulson of Clark, Chantel (Tom) Paulson of Brookings, Bruce (Lisa) Paulson of Garden City and Lori (Brett) of Koenecke of Pierre; and her 16 grandchildren: Amy (Peter) Nielson, Angel (Mark Scharnberg) Paulson, Matt (Katie) Paulson, Todd (Kelli) Keyes, Troy (Stephanie) Keyes, Brent (Abby) Keyes, Briana (fiancé Nate McGruder) Paulson, Tanner (Celine) Paulson, Brooke (Tyler) Burlage, Hope (Edward) Reichenbach, Andrea (Derek) Schroeder, Janelle (Ashlee) Stepp, Kathryn Paulson, Jeffery Paulson, Arden Koenecke and Claire Koenecke. She is survived by 22 great-grandchildren: Max (Madisen) and Quynn Nielson: Eloise and Everett Scharnberg; Mattyx and Banks Paulson; Keira, Taylor and Brinley Keyes; Lauren, Lucy and Izzy Keyes; Ruby and Rafe Keyes; twins Cater and Gianna Paulson; Cannon and Casen Burlage; Foster, Royce and Adalynn Schroeder; and Beckham Stepp. She is also survived by siblings Bonnie Davies of Denver, Colo.; Robert Hartman and Pat Bonfoey, both of Sioux Falls; Joanne Norries of Sheridan, Wyo.; Judy Rennich of Brookings; and Alan Hartman of Hartford; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Grace is reunited in Heaven with her parents, husband Leonard (October 23, 1999), sister Mary Jane Rea, brother Gene Hartman and brothers and sisters-in-law Wendell Rea, Lloyd Davis, Paul Bonfoey, Dwight and Alma (Paulson) Small, Melvin and Cecilia Grotbeck, Palmer and Gladys Paulson, Norman and Dorothy Paulson, Norris and Nettie (Paulson) Johnson and Arnold and Betty Paulson.
