Obituaries

Paula Catherine (Birchard) Nelson, age 62, of Pickford, Michigan, went to be with the Lord on September 10, 2023. She was born October 3, 1960, in Pontiac, Michigan, to parents Jesse and Lillian (Jarnot) Birchard.

Paula spent her youth growing up in Walled Lake, Michigan, with her ten brothers and sisters. She finished her final year of high school in Treasure Island, Florida where her parents had a beach house summer cabin. After graduation, she lived in Colorado before coming back to her hometown in Michigan where she met the love of her life, Karl Nelson. Karl and Paula were working at the same restaurant in Oakland County when they met for the first time. She was a waitress, and he was a cook with experience in French cuisine. They married in 1985 and moved to Kentucky where they began their family. After returning to the Howell area, Paula took on homeschooling her three children and caring for her family full-time. The Nelson family moved to the Upper Peninsula in 1995 and Paula began a ten-year missionary service with Cedar Campus in Cedarville, Michigan. In 2001, Paula and Karl opened Karl's Cuisine in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The restaurant operated for the next twenty years, becoming a community staple for locals and tourists alike.

Paula was a helper. She spent her life providing for the community she lived in and being the best wife, mother, Bop (grandma), sister, aunt, and friend someone could ask for. She always went above and beyond for others, and you knew you always had a place at her table (where she would serve amazing food)! She enjoyed spending her downtime gardening, playing Yahtzee, and eating good food, but most of all, she loved her family. Paula will be greatly missed by all who had the blessing of knowing her.

Paula is survived by her loving husband, Karl Nelson; children, Elliot (Beth) Nelson, Lily (Jared) Gaul and Charles (Torie) Nelson; grandchildren, Arloa, Oscar, Esta, Jace, Audrey, and Mya; siblings, Dennis Birchard (Lizabeth), Denise Cox (Gary), Donald Birchard (Beate), Patrice Musto (Anthony), Diane Ennamorato (Mark), Dean Birchard (Lovie), Delene Taylor (John) Darcene Monetti (Giuliano); and many nieces and nephews; as well as her beloved dogs, Dixie and Greta.

Paula was preceded in death by her parents, Jesse and Lillian Birchard; sister, Pamela Noviski; and brother, Daniel Birchard.

A Memorial Service will be held on September 23, 2023, at the Pickford Methodist Church at 2:00 PM with Pastor Tim Bashore officiating. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Wildwood Farm in Pickford at 3:00 PM, following the church service.