After a full week with visits from her children, friends and pastor, Valentine's activities, dancing to a performance of the Roseburg High School Jazz Band and listening to a recording of her beloved St. Olaf Choir, Beverly Paulson passed away peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 16, 2026. She was 97.

Born in Waseca, Minnesota, on Aug. 30, 1928, Beverly Jane Fretham was the third daughter of Edwin and Emma (Bagne) Fretham, who were both born to Norwegian immigrant families. Mom loved growing up on a farm where life centered on the two-room country school, the North Waseca Lutheran Church, 4-H and raising chickens and cows.

She graduated from Waseca Central High School in 1946, later remarking that she took to heart the class motto: "Never give up! It is wiser and better always to hope than once to despair." Mom was a born optimist who thrived on challenges. Mom attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, for two years before transferring to the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in home economics education and related art and later earning a masters degree.

She loved teaching at Milaca High School in Minnesota for two years while "pinching pennies" in order to travel to Europe for three months in 1953. On the passage from Quebec to London, Mom befriended Ellen Anderson who insisted that her eligible nephew in Wisconsin would be her perfect match. With time on their hands crossing the Atlantic, Mom and her friends playfully planned the wedding. Upon returning home, and after an introduction and fairly short courtship, Dad and Mom were married on Aug. 1, 1954, in a ceremony just as it had been planned on the ship. Theirs was a love story for the ages. They celebrated 65 years of marriage before Dad's passing in 2020.

They were dedicated, loving parents who grounded us in family traditions and the values of faith, loyalty, kindness and giving back while also giving us wings to follow our own unique paths. She was a dedicated Cub Scout and 4-H leader and remained involved and interested in our lives, and those of her grandchildren.

Scandinavian heritage was important to both Mom and Dad (whose father was Norwegian and mother Swedish). They both compiled extensive histories of their ancestries, with Mom's dating back to 1630. They both had the same traditional, Scandinavian Christmas Eve dinner their entire lives. Mom introduced many to her favorite Scandinavian exclamation: "Uff Da!"

In 1966, Mom and Dad left their Midwest roots to move to Roseburg, Oregon, where dad served as the first pharmacist at Mercy Hospital. They loved exploring the 100 Valleys of the Umpqua, introducing us to skiing on Taft Mountain, hiking and swimming in Umpqua River streams (where Mom would also pick wild watercress), exploring local wineries and giving back to the community. For nearly six decades, they lived in their historic Craftsman home where they enjoyed entertaining friends - especially on their front porch in their later years. In the 1970s, they built their treasured boat-access home on Tenmile Lake, which Mom was still able to visit last summer.

Witnessing the Great Depression motivated Mom's commitment to serving those less fortunate. She helped form the Friendly Kitchen, which addresses the nutritional and fellowship needs of seniors, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, which provides purpose while fulfilling community needs, and the Senior Companion Program, which ensures that seniors enjoy the gift of friendship. Her board and volunteer service included the Greater Douglas United Way, the Confidence Clinic, the League of Women Voters, Altrusa and the Downtown Roseburg Association, to name just a few. She taught gerontology and nutrition at Umpqua Community College and "walked the talk" when it came to healthy aging.
In 1993, Mom was honored as Roseburg's First Citizen and later presented with Crater Lake license plate 000 005 in recognition of her leadership of the Friends of Crater Lake board. A devoted and engaged member of Faith Lutheran Church for 60 years, Mom took a keen interest in religious studies and donated her extensive book collection to the Church. While involved in community work, Mom was also one to connect with people on an individual basis, quietly offering help and hope - frequently to people who society had set aside. She would look a person squarely in the eye, taking genuine interest in who they were rather than everything around them. She could be vocal, forthright, candid and convincing, qualities she saw in her father. "I'm not Edwin Fretham's daughter for nothing," was one of her expressions. Dad and Mom saw the world beyond themselves and traveled extensively throughout the United States and the globe while also hosting exchange students from Australia, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Both were active with the Roseburg Sister City Program with Shobu, Japan.

They enjoyed music and art. For many years, Mom served as president of Roseburg's Community Concert Association, which brought world-class musicians to the community. Her drive and vigor were not lost on her grandchildren, who nicknamed her Grandma Busy - a moniker that she cherished.

Mom lived the life she wanted to live - fully and with joy, passion and purpose. She will be greatly missed by her son John Paulson; daughter Sarah Nevue; son-in-law Bo Nevue; grandchildren Henry Nevue and Audrey Nevue; four nieces and six nephews and their families; and numerous friends. She is preceded in death by her husband Lewis Paulson; sisters Loris (Red) Stoner and Elaine (Fred) Saltvolvd; Lewis's brothers and their wives Curtis (Inez), Gordon (Ramona) and David (Edith); and nephew Bruce Paulson.

A Celebration of Life service and reception will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Faith Lutheran Church, 820 West Kenwood, Roseburg, Oregon. Per Mom's wishes, it will also honor Dad, whose memorial service was cancelled during the pandemic. Remembrances may be made to Faith Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 2349, Roseburg, OR 97470. Dad and Mom are interred at Elgarose Cemetery in Melrose.

For the last six months of Mom's life she was content and happy at Brookdale Roseburg Senior Living and appreciative of the kind, thoughtful and attentive caregivers and staff - as were we. We wish to thank Mom's many friends who, especially in recent years, kept her engaged in the community that she dearly loved. We are grateful for the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church, who have always been at Mom's side affirming that love is indeed patient and kind and that love never fails.