Larry George Paulson was a force in this world. Born in Vernal, Utah, on August 17, 1947, Larry was raised in the Uintah Basin. In 1965, he began attending Utah State University, where he met Shirley. They became engaged in August 1968. After leaving the university in winter of 1968, Larry enlisted in the Navy. During his first leave, on March 21, 1969, Larry and Shirley were married. On April 29, 1972, the couple's only child, Andrea, was born.

Larry was accepted into the Naval Enlisted Dietetic Education Program in September 1972, and the family was stationed in Ohio, where Larry attended Ohio State University, receiving a bachelor's degree in Medical Dietetics in 1975 and was commissioned as an Naval officer. In 1977, the family was transferred to the Naval Hospital in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Finally financially secure, the family started to travel internationally and began what was to be a long passion with scuba diving. In 1979, the family returned to the United States, living on various bases in California until Larry retired from the Navy after serving his county for 20 years. Larry subsequently enjoyed an illustrious career as an executive working in the healthcare industry, and he received numerous accolades over the decades for his leadership in helping build companies both financially and qualitatively.

Larry passed away suddenly on March 11, 2013. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, his daughter, Andrea, and his granddaughter, Skaeya. Much loved by his family, friends, and peers, he will be greatly missed for his vivacious nature and sense of humor.

Larry was a presence in any room. He loved a good party, loved talking to and laughing with and teasing people. And he especially liked to share stories. He lived his life for today, because as he said "you just never know," and he was happy whenever he had a chance to do something outrageous, something that would make a good story for family and friends to enjoy at all iterations of the telling and to remember fondly. To this end, he traveled the world, did all kinds of things, and spent time sharing adventures with the people he cared about most.

One philosophy he held dear was a belief that you should always ask for exactly what you want, no matter how likely you thought you were to get it, because, in his words, "if you don't ask, then you certainly won't get it." He also believed in doing the right things, which he recognized were not always the easy things. Larry sought to enable people to be independent forces of their own, to have and express their own opinions as eloquently, or maybe sometimes as stubbornly, as he could.

While Larry's force of will and boisterous nature could sometimes initially antagonize people, that same force of will more often won people over, or at least got them talking. He was a man who left a strong impression, but who, at family gatherings, was often the one adult found playing with and teasing the group of children. Not infrequently accused of never really growing up himself, he never minded being thought of as another one of the kids. He asserted that "I have to get older, but I don't have to grow up," and in our memories he will be just that--forever young.