Steve J Paulson

Steve J. Paulson, age 67, resident of Grand Forks, died on Saturday, July 26 at his home.

Steven James Paulson was born on December 10, 1957 and raised in Grand Forks, ND. As a child, his favorite pastime was causing shenanigans with his lifelong neighborhood friends until his mom rang the “come-home” cowbell. He graduated from Central High School in 1976.

Steve wore many proverbial hats and was a jack of all trades. After graduating with his business degree at UND, he earned his journeyman electrician license. He was good at bringing people together and creating a team from individuals. His work ethic was a point of pride. He most valued the unique challenges and relationships he formed while employed at the Alerus Center and Sanford Hillsboro/Mayville.

He married his best friend and the love of his life Rochelle Anderson on the beautiful first day of summer in June 1986. They have three pretty cool kids together, Chaalse, Danielle, and Rosalina.

Steve was a creature of habit, stubborn for no good reason, the king of the dad joke, and a family man through and through. A constant caretaker, he worked tirelessly to ensure his loved ones were supported. His favorite roles were husband, dad, and papa.

He loved grilling and cooking for his family (especially homemade thin crust pizza and lasagna), overpopulating their garden with tomato plants, attending UND hockey games, watching dramatic cop and medical tv shows, playing the “bubble game” on his phone, arriving at the airport obscenely early for a flight, and collecting useless pieces of wood in the garage. He looked forward to Saturday lunches at Happy Joe’s with his family and decimated every arcade claw machine he encountered. He was happiest wearing one of his many Hawaiian shirts with a Diet Coke in hand surrounded by his family.

Steve is survived by his loving wife of over 40 years, Rochelle, of Grand Forks; children: Chaalse (Alex) Sidles of Grand Forks, ND, Danielle (Zach) Lorsung of Moorhead, MN, Rosalina (Mark) Paulson of East Grand Forks, MN, and Amanda Kennedy of Stewartville, MN; grandchildren: Vada, Idella, and Louise Sidles; brothers: David (Nora) Paulson of Lihue, HI and Gerald (Marla) Paulson of Bismarck, ND; and many nieces, nephews, and good friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clayton and Yvonne Paulson, and his favorite sidekick pug, Tula.

A memorial service will take place on Friday, August 1, 2025 at 4:00PM at Amundson Funeral Home. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service.