Omar (Corky) Gale Paulson

Omar Gale "Corky" Paulson, age 82, Columbia, SC, formerly of Clark, died at his home in Columbia on Tuesday morning, January 24, 2012. Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 1PM in the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Clark with The Reverend Robin Schaunaman officiating. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller with special music being provided by a granddaughter, Emily Knudson. Other special music will be by Wendy Christman and Marvine Obermeier. The casketbearers will be Gale, Larry and Scott Paulson, Kurt Knudson, Pat Hickey & Daryl McCulley. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 5-7PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and after 9AM at the Church on Monday until service time. He was born on May 22, 1929 at Glad Valley, SD, the son of Charles and Alice (Fischer) Paulson. He attended the first three grades in Isabel, SD, while living with his grandmother, as his mother had died when he was six. At a young age the family returned to the Clark County area settling on a farm site west of Crocker. He then attended the Mallard Slough School and then the Round Lake School through the eighth grade. Corky then attended Thorp High School. Omar was united in marriage to Alma Petersen of August 28, 1949 at the Clark Center Lutheran Church, northwest of Clark. Following their marriage, the couple lived and farmed, raising seven children, north of Clark. They later moved into Clark and have for the past several years, wintered in South Carolina. Over the years, Corky has enjoyed a trip to Ellis Island and New York City. The family took a 40th wedding anniversary trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota along with their 7 children, spouses and grandchildren in 1989. They celebrated a 50th anniversary at St. Paul Church in Clark and last August, celebrated 62 years of marriage. Besides farming, he also worked at McCain Foods in Clark as a shift supervisor, an employment that lasted 21 years. He enjoyed hunting all types of wildlife and sports, especially baseball. Preceding him in death were his parents, a step-mother, Mary, sisters, Jeanette , Alyce Dee and Lorraine (Mo) Zeck, brothers, Charles, Jr."Buzz", Everett (Blanche) and Darrel (Cleo) Paulson, a brother-in-law, Lude Larson and a faithful companion, his dog & "buddy", Reno. Grateful for having shared in his life is his wife Alma of Columbia, SC, children, Joan (Daryl) McCulley of Colonial Beach, VA, Gale (Arlys) Paulson of Sioux Falls, Carol (Pat Hickey) Paulson of Columbia, SC, Debra Werdunn of Columbia, SC, Donna (Kurt) Knudson of Delano, MN, Larry Paulson of Columbia, SC and Scott Paulson of Columbia, SC, 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He also leaves siblings, Shirley Larson and Richard (Karen) Paulson all of Clark, nieces and nephews and his beloved dog, Rikki. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Pets Inc. (www.petsinc.org) the Carolina's Humane Society or to the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Clark, SD. Arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark. www.furnessfuneralhome.com