Friday, March 29, 2024

Paul Gerald Jordan, 89, Kasson

Paul Gerald Jordan of Kasson, Minnesota, died peacefully at age 89 with his family at his side on Jan. 7, 2021, after a lengthy illness.

Paul was born Aug. 18, 1931 on the family farm in Byron, to Lawrence (Shorty) and DeVera (Stevenson) Jordan. He grew up on three farms in Olmsted County until the family moved to Stewartville in 1942.

There he attended school, participating in multiple sports for the Stewartville Tigers in high school and graduated in 1949. He and several of his six siblings worked at Tarsilla’s Cafe during high school.

Following high school, he worked at Waters Conley in Rochester.

He married Mary Ann Rehbein on July 26, 1952. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 until his honorable discharge in 1954. They raised six children together.

Upon discharge from the U.S. Army, Paul earned an Associate’s Degree from Rochester Junior College. He then attended Winona State while working as a house painter to support his growing family, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor’s Degree in education.

In the fall of 1960 he began a 33-year teaching career in the Rochester School District at Northrop Elementary.

He continued his education while teaching, earning a Master’s Degree and then an Education Specialist Degree. He became an assistant principal at Harriet Bishop Elementary with simultaneous duty as principal at Oronoco.

He retired from teaching on June 14, 1993 from Washington Elementary, where he worked the last three years with his daughter, Sandra Roeder.

Paul kept busy with many activities during his teaching career.

As an officer of the Rochester Education Association he attended annual conventions in other parts of the country. He formed his own painting service employing relatives and friends. Later he became a licensed real estate agent and EMT, working part-time for Rochester and Plainview ambulance services, ski patrol, and as a volunteer with the American Red Cross where he was a team leader at several disasters in southeast Minnesota.

Paul also enjoyed auctioneering, which led to an interest in attending estate and garage sales. This motivated him to have his own garage sales to resell the many treasures he hadn’t been able to resist buying.

One of his passions was searching for agates, processing them in tumblers, and using lapidary equipment to make jewelry, paperweights, and a variety of other items. His children remember adventures climbing rock piles in search of agates.

Surviving Paul are his loving partner of 20 years, Audrey Carlson, sister Mary Lou and husband Ed Rauen, sisters-in-law Sandra (John) and Lynda (Gerard), son Gary (Pam), daughters Cindy Olson (Randy), Kathy Kittleson (Scott), Kerry Sanden (Bob), Sandra Roeder (Keith), Paula Weedman (James), stepdaughter Heather Gjervik (Todd), and stepson Chad Kuhlman (Amy). Surviving grandchildren are Christopher Brown (Della), Joshua Olson (Elisha), Brittany Kelley (Brandan), Brandon Kittleson (Melissa), Matthew Kittleson, Rick Sanden, Cassie Van Every (Jason), Travis Sanden, Mary Kobi (Nick), Michael Roeder, Michael Weedman, Danielle Lawrence (Chance), Noah Gjervik, Ava Gjervik, Gabriella  Kuhlman, and Brianna Kuhlman.

Also surviving Paul are 29 great-grandchildren, nine great-great-grandchildren, and dozens of nieces and nephews.

See full story in this week’s print edition or subscribe online. Please subscribe here or current subscribers can login here.

Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
Dodge County ADvantage
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

507-634-7503
 
Hours: 
Monday-Thursday 10a.m.-3p.m.