Paul Thomas Colarusso

The Army Doctor, Captain Jack W. Dowsett delivered Paul Thomas Colarusso at the Pasadena Area Station Army Hospital in Pasadena, California, on June 2,1944, announcing, "You have a strong, healthy son." Thomas Gabriel Colarusso and Merlene Tew were the happy parents. In January, Paul's father, Captain Thomas Gabriel Colarusso, a Pharmacist in the United States Army, shipped out for France during WWII.
Paul thrived as a hefty, muscular boy who explored as a trailblazer, and conquered, tormented and persuaded everyone within earshot to follow him. Even to the detriment of his welfare, he climbed, he fell, he crashed, causing His mother to declare, "You'll never live to be 30!" Paul set out on biology excursions, capturing snakes, horned toads, lizards, and frogs. He caught every variety of butterflies with a net and mounted them to hang in his room, and became the certified Marble Champion at Canterbury Elementary School. During the night, Paul believed he could fly physically in his dreams––nothing holding him down.
Paul attended Monroe High School in Northridge, California, where he grounded himself with a passion as Captain of the football team. During those years, Paul bonded with an exceptional group of young men and young women with very special relationships that remained over the years. In 1965, Paul accepted a call to serve in the Western States Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was honorably released two years later.
Upon returning to Brigham Young University, Paul discovered that a good friend's younger sister had grown into a beautiful, intelligent, tall blond with an engaging smile that lit up the world. Martha Nisson was in the nursing program at the Y. Paul and Martha were married in the Los Angeles California Temple on September 7, 1968.
In 1970, after Paul graduated from Brigham Young University in Communications and Martha graduated as a Registered Nurse, they headed to Cal State Berkley for Paul to earn a Master's Degree in Public Health. Paul then worked at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital in Bakersfield, California, for 21 years in hospital administration, and Martha worked as a Public Health Care nurse. Paul retired from the hospital in 1993, moving his family to Utah, where his brother-in-law and best friend, Jay Southwick, hired him as a Financial Advisor. Bonded as friends since their youth, Paul and Jay covered many miles together on Harley motorcycles.
Paul's love of fly fishing on the Green and Provo Rivers and his passion for golf were satisfied in the beautiful Mountain West and golf courses in northern and southern Utah, home of his ancestral Latter-day Saint pioneers. Paul and Martha have been working in the Draper Utah Temple Baptistry for the last seven years, where they made many friends and experienced the sweet opportunity of working with many of the Church of Jesus Christ's youth.
Most of all, Paul loved spending time with his wife and three sons, who tagged him "Brutus" and his thirteen grandchildren.
On December 28, 2024, eighty-year-old Paul, who had defied his mother's statement he would never live to be thirty, suddenly died from complications of a bleeding ulcer at Alta View Hospital with his family around him. Paul set his house in order, finished his work on the earth, and left us missing him, whereas his beloved Father in Heaven granted Paul his persistent dream to fly.
Paul is survived by his wife, Martha Colarusso, sons Shon (Jeni and Kade, Dane, India & Jace), Kevin (Sara and Will, Lexie & Cooper), Trent (Jean and Talon, Roman, Parker, Cole, Beckham & Gaetano), sisters Starla Spears and brother-in-law, Gary, and Sondra Latham and brother-in-law, Dennis.
VIEWING: Will be held, Friday, January 10th, 2025 from 6:00P – 8:00P and Saturday, January 11th, 2025 from 10:00A – 10:45A. Both will be held at the Hillcrest Stake Center, 8485 South 1000 East, Sandy, UT 84094.
FUNERAL: Will be held Saturday, January 11th, 2025 from 11:00A – 12:15P
at the Hillcrest Stake Center, 8485 South 1000 East, Sandy, UT 84094.
(Family luncheon to follow)
BURIAL: Will be held Saturday, January 11th, 2025 at 3:00P Springville Evergreen Cemetery, 1997 S 400 E St, Springville, UT 84663