Judith Lynn Paulsmeyer

(May 4, 1942 – May 30, 2017) 
Paulsmeyer, David Louis Paulsmeyer, Judith Lynn (nee Weston) David and his wife Judy were taken from us too suddenly in a tragic single vehicle accident on May 30 near the Idaho/Utah border on I-84. Taken from us too soon their souls left together, driving their RV home to Bend after a visit to see their grandchildren. Now they will rest in peace with each other for eternity, though rather than resting, we suspect they will be dancing, playing, laughing and loving together. David born June 30, 1941 to Bernice A. (nee Bante) Paulsmeyer and Dr. E. H. Paulsmeyer. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Carolynn, who died at birth; David is survived by beloved brother Daniel E. (Deborah (nee Pfitzer)) Paulsmeyer; beloved sister-in-law Bonnie G. (nee Baranyai) Paulsmeyer; grandfather, uncle, great-uncle, cousin, and friend to many.

Judy was born May 4, 1942 to Gertrude (nee Rieffer) and George Weston, deceased. Judy is survived by her beloved brother James (Janis (nee Wirtel)) Weston; grandmother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, and friend to many. David and Judy married on July 29, 1964. They are the proud parents of Todd Andrew (Lorene Wapotich) Paulsmeyer born in early 1965 in New York City; Michael Allen (Annalisa (nee Peterson)) Paulsmeyer born in Colorado in 1970; dearest grandparents of Gabrielle and Bella, children of Todd and Renee Paulsmeyer. David spent most of his early years living on Flora Avenue in Maplewood. He lived there with his grandmother who we called Nana; his mother, Bernice; and his little brother, Dan. He attended Sutton School, MRH Junior High, and then Maplewood Richmond Heights High School. He enjoyed football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He graduated from William Jewell College and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity. He got a Masters degree from New York University, then a PhD from Iowa University and was a professor at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he specialized in Gerontology. He later spent 18 years at United Way of Greater St. Louis. Judy was born in St. Charles, MO and lived there until 2nd grade when the family moved to Webster Groves, MO, where she graduated from Webster Groves High School. She attended William Jewell College where she first met David. Her adventurous spirit and support from David moved her to leave college after her sophomore year to become an airline hostess with TWA, enjoying life in the skies, both domestic and international. After her children were born, Judy became a stay-at-home mom and focused on arts and crafts on the side, knitting and selling sweaters. Feeling the urge to finish her degree, she earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from SIUE at the young age of 41. She then put her creativity on display for various businesses in the St. Louis area, working as a visual designer and event planner. But Judy was most proud of her knitting, design and art career. Her designs for sweaters, socks, and children’s items were published in numerous national crafts magazines, including McCall’s, and she designed and created many life-times worth of sweaters, socks, shawls, felted items and a plethora of other beautiful creations which she lovingly gave to family and friends near and far. David and Judy loved their Portuguese Water dogs, who would go running and hiking with them. They loved the outdoors, which is why they moved to Bend, Oregon in 2006. There they could go hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing, and just sit and enjoy the outdoors. Any activity you can think about they did together. Well except for one and that was Judy’s knitting. She was more than a knitter she was a designer. If you did not get to see some of her work, you missed out. In Bend they became active in many groups together, including the Friends of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, Oregon Natural Desert Association, and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. They were dedicated to their community, to democracy and justice – and to dancing together, which they enjoyed for decades. David and Judy’s openness, generosity and kind spirit allowed them to make good friends everywhere they went. They will be widely and deeply missed. Services: A Celebration of their lives will be held at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon, 61980 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend OR 97703, Saturday, June 17, 3 p.m., followed by a light reception. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of David and Judy Paulsmeyer to: The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon (tax-deductible) http://www.uufco.org/get-involved/stewardship-giving/pledge ?Friends of Oregon Badlands Wilderness (tax-deductible) http://www.fobbits.org/ Oregon Natural Desert Association (tax-deductible) https://onda.org/get-involved/donate/donation-form

Published in St. Louis Post-Dispatch on June 11, 2017