Florence Lucille Pauls (Melhuse)

Florence (“Flo”) Lucille Pauls passed away at her home in Montrose on Wednesday, January 6th at age 81.  Flo was born on May 25, 1934 to Lawrence and Wilhelmena (“Minnie”) Melhuse in Minneapolis.  She graduated from the University of Minnesota and taught elementary school for several years.  Flo met her husband, Edward Pauls, in the Ullr Ski Club in Minneapolis.  They married in 1959 and shared their love of outdoor activities with their son, Glenn, and daughter, Terri.  In addition to alpine skiing, the family enjoyed cross-country skiing, ice skating, camping, river canoeing, water skiing, sailing, bicycling, scuba diving, snowmobiling, dirt biking, and, on the first of several trips to southwest Colorado in the early 1980s, exploring the San Juan Mountains by jeep.  In 1976 Ed invented the NordicTrack, and with Flo grew a family business from our garage to the American Dream.  In 1998 Flo and Ed moved to Utah, where they relished years of powder skiing at Alta and exploring the state’s canyon country. Flo and Ed moved to Montrose in 2009.  Flo was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Rose and Mary, and her beloved husband Ed. Flo is survived by son Glenn Pauls and his wife Dianne of Durango; daughter Terri Pauls of Anchorage; granddaughter Kara Gray, her husband Rick, and great-granddaughter Evelyn of Minneapolis; grandson Trevor Pauls of Minneapolis; and extended family and friends.  A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, February 14th at 2:00 PM at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, in Chaska, Minnesota.  Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).