Dr. Paul Reuben Lysne (February 14, 1940 – December 30, 2025)

Paul Lysne decided that 85 years was a good, round number and peacefully completed his life on December 30, 2025. He passed away in his favorite place on earth—his home in the Northwoods—surrounded by the family he adored. Paul was born in Minneapolis on Valentine's Day 1940 to a Danish mother and Norwegian father.  He lived his Scandinavian heritage through a fix-it-yourself work ethic; he was no stranger to duct tape and bailing wire.

Paul graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1958. He attended St. Olaf College for his freshman year, then transferred to the University of MN to complete his undergraduate degree in only 3 years.  This allowed him to proceed directly to the U of MN dental school (1966) and earned him the nickname "Gunner" for his speed and tenacity.

Paul practiced dentistry in suburban Minneapolis, first with his father, Reuben, and later in a shared building with his physician brother, Dick. To Paul, family was always the core of his practice.

In the late 1970s, Paul chose to leave suburban life behind to build a home on family land north of Grand Rapids. He practiced dentistry until his retirement in 2000.  It was at his Ruby Lake home where he lived the life he truly longed for, including fishing, hunting, birdwatching, tinkering in the shed, and using his lawnmower as his primary mode of daily transportation.

Paul was a role model in living life on your own terms.  He was entirely self-taught in anything that sparked his creative interest, such as auto racing at the Brainerd International Raceway, building a home darkroom for his nature photography (one photo was published in The Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine), computer programming, jewelry making, and running a trap line.

He was a gentle, patient man who loved the solitude of the woods and his energy will forever be in the trees, water, and birds around Ruby Lake. Paul was sweet and loving and never shied from sharing his warm emotions. With a twinkle in his eye and a great big kiss, he greeted his family with sweet endearments, fitting for a man whose love for his people was only rivaled by his lifelong devotion to anything sugary.

Throughout his life, Paul was a mischievous scamp – scheming with his brother and scaring the dickens out his sister; driving tractors with Marlo in the gravel pit; and stubbornly proceeding with whatever he set his mind to-- with safety often being secondary to the task at hand.  Luckily, he was a gymnast and a tennis player in his youth and used his agility to evade the typical consequences of this "safety second" approach.  As one friend put it, "Paul used all 14 of his 9 lives".

Paul is survived by Kathy, his wife of 31 years; children, Kirsten Lysne (Richard Lay), Erik (Stephanie) Lysne, Marit Lysne (Jim Rosati), Aaron (Janelle) Bradley, Stephanie (Matthew) Bangston; his grandchildren, Antonio Rosati, Leon Rosati, Jaxon Verke, and Alex Verke; his sister Barb (John) Skeie; and 7 nieces and nephews and their families. Paul is preceded in death by his parents, Reuben and Dorathy Lysne; brother, Richard Lysne; and his lifelong friends, Marlo and Marlene Baldwin.

A memorial service will be held at Zion Lutheran Church on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.  Visitation begins at 10am, with service at 11am, followed by a church lunch.
Address: 2901 South Hwy. 169, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Second Harvest Northland (secondharvestnorthland.org).