Obituary of Paula Jo Lofgreen

Paula was born on June 20th, 1956 in McCook, NE. She was the oldest daughter to Donald and Barbara Cumpston. Later she was joined by 2 sisters- Carla (Snyder) and Sheila. Paula was a joyful child who liked to play beauty shop with her sisters and an adventurous youth who on one occasion ventured out on a raft with a friend on a local lake (contrary to her mother’s instructions) only to be caught when their picture appeared in the local paper. Some of her fondest childhood memories took place in Grand Lake, Colorado where her family spent their summers. Her father Don, being a teacher, supplemented his income by working for the Park Service. Paula held many summer jobs there; everything from helping her mother run the Shower Hut, to being a hotel maid, and to working at an ice cream parlor- The Blue Chalet. She loved spending time hiking the Rocky Mountains with her sisters and friends. (Later when grown, she continued the summer tradition by taking her family to Grand Lake for family vacations.) Paula did well in school but academics were not her motive for attending. She was a social girl who loved being with her friends. She played Volleyball, ran Track and Cross Country, and was a Cheerleader. Her father was usually her coach and encouraged her to do her best, instilling in her the assurance that she could do anything she put her mind to! Paula also liked art class particularly ceramics and stained glass. Later in life, Paula would laugh that she could never get away with anything at school since her father and frequently her mother were teachers there. One time she was innocently tracing the Fire Alarm pull switch when it went off. Surprised and scared, Paula followed everyone out of the school as the fire department showed-up to investigate the alarm... Later she confessed to accidentally triggering the alarm. Her mother knew about the incident within minutes of her confession when she got a call saying "guess what your daughter did..."! Paula's first adult job was working for Dr. Jester at Kearney Eye Associates in Kearney, NE. She found herself thoroughly enjoying scrubbing in for eye surgeries and assisting the doctor. This is what triggered her desire to pursue the medical field. When she had her daughter Tracia, she was touched by the whole experience to the extent she wanted to pursue nursing and become a Labor and Delivery (L&D) Nurse. To quote Paula, she "gutted through" most of the classes to achieve her goal of helping babies enter the world. Her love of all things pregnancy, birth, and babies has continued her whole life. She worked L&D for many years; unfortunately her hearing loss forced her to change, which took her to the wondrous world of ultrasound. Doing 1st trimester ultrasounds for Care Net Pregnancy Centers, opened the window of the womb to many women in unexpected pregnancies and the truth of those young lives. She was part of saving many, many lives. Paula was raised Methodist and grew-up going to Sunday school every week with her parents. They instilled in her the importance of church. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she received Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior. Attending woman's Bible study, she really began to understand what it meant to be a follower of Christ and how much He loved her and wanted to have a relationship with her!! Her faith grew from there. His calling in her life included homeschooling her two children, standing up for the rights of the unborn through her work as a counselor, “hot liner” & clinical RN at CareNet. She stayed true to her convictions knowing that her life of obedience to God resulted in ministering to so many. Her faith gave her the strength to weather many life storms from family situations to fighting cancer. When she went through surgeries, chemo, and radiation and their accumulated affect she never become angry at God, but rather sought His strength, comfort and will to glorify Him. She would want everyone she came in contact with to know the love and saving grace of Jesus; This was her mission in life. Family was a huge part of who Paula was. Stories of her husband, children and grand babies were always on her lips. Paula loved her role of head cheerleader for her husband and family. She impressed (in both actions and words) on her daughter one of the most important roles of a wife is to encourage and support her husband. She would be the "goofy" one to lighten the mood when life got too serious or when a school lesson was tough. She was at most if not all of Terrance's sporting events and even taught him and some of his friends about the government (her Government Guys). Once, when teaching a lesson about endurance, she and Terrance hatched a chicken egg starting the first in a long line of Lofreen poultry pets. Paula was so proud to see her son Terrance realize his childhood dream of becoming a Firefighter Paramedic even though she was too sick to attend his graduation. With as much as Paula loved being a Mom, she LOVED being a Grandma! She was with Tracia and Tyler when both of their daughters were born even though both were born at times when the cancer was causing her problems. When her granddaughter Amy-Lynn started calling her Mema, Paula interpreted the name to mean "my grandma" and never wanted to be called anything else! Watching Amy-Lynn 1 day a week for several years, she invested countless hours in Amy-Lynn having tea parties, going to the library or beach, making play dough, and teaching her about Jesus. Paula’s patriotism ran deep too. She loved her country and serving as a wife of an active duty officer. Her work at Madigan Army Medical Center brought great joy and pride. She often decorated her home with items symbolic of this love and appreciation. She loved celebrating many of our countries holidays; the 4th of July was her favorite. Living in Steilacoom accentuated a full day of activity and fun with family and friends. The 4th will never be the same without her. She had a deep respect for our veterans and the flag. She is survived by her loving husband of 26 years, Cassin; daughter Tracia (Tyler) Clark, son Terrance; granddaughters Amy-Lynn and Katie Jo and numerous family and friends. Her Memorial service will be held at 3PM February 26th, 2011 at Central The Church On The Hill, 5000 67th Ave W, University Place, WA, 98467-2238. Paula would love for you to make a generous donation to one or all three of the following charities: •CareNet Pregnancy & Family Services of Puget Sound 1209 6th Ave. Tacoma, WA 98405-4004 (253)383-2988 •Adoption Ministry of YWAM Eithopia PO Box 512 Puyallup, WA 98371 (253)770-2283 •Sunset Bible Church (Building Fund) PO Box 64246 University Place, WA 98464 (253) 564-7317