Paula F. Julander

1939 - 2025

Paula F Julander

Jan 21 1939~Aug 25, 2025

Paula passed away in the arms of her only child in the early hours of August 25th in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born January 21st, 1939, to Paul Baxter and Esther Earnhardt Foil in Mt. Pleasant, NC, the youngest of three sisters. The girls remained close their entire lives; Paula is preceded in death by sister Ann Crowell and survived by Irene Gaul.

Professionally, Paula led an extremely productive life. She received her RN at age 20 and always identified first and foremost as a nurse. Later in life, she obtained a BS in nursing from the University of Utah (1984), followed by her MS in Nursing Administration from BYU (1990) where she was also recognized as the College of Nursing Alumnus of the Year in 2005. And, in 2015, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (PhD) in Public Service by Westminster University, their highest honor.

She practiced as a nurse for 45+ years, culminating in her appointment as the executive director of the Utah Nurses Association. However, she likely made a bigger societal impact through her vast political accomplishments where she applied her love of serving others to creating laws to benefit millions of Utahns. Paula was elected to the Utah House of Representatives (1989-1992) and then served in the Utah State Senate from 1998-2005, resigning for health reasons. She was also the nominated candidate for Lt. Governor in 1992. A few of her favorite senate bills she sponsored were the Promotion of Preventative Health, the Nurse Practice Act, and the Prohibition of Intimacy with a Person in Custody. Organizations of note (not all!) where she served include the Intermountain Healthcare Hospitals Board of Directors, the Utah State Capitol Preservation Board, Planned Parenthood Board, and the Westminster University Board of Trustees, where she is now a trustee emerita. Her list of awards is long but some favorites are the Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the Hero on the Hill, and the Utah Public Health Nurse of the Year. The committees, foundations, forums and groups where she dedicated countless hours of service are too numerous to list.

While her professional accomplishments are vital to know in honoring Paula, her personal life was just as important to her. At 21, Paula married her high school sweetheart, William H. McMahan (deceased). Married to Bill for 25 years, she gave birth to her daughter Julie, in 1966. Paula and Julie were extremely close and relied on each other for support, love and advice for over 50 years. She also adored (beyond words!) her three grandsons, Peter, Hank and Jack. Despite all of her many titles, her very favorite were Nurse Paula and Nana. She was an integral part of her grandsons' lives attending more baseball games, ski races, golf tournaments and other school events than she could have ever imagined! She found immense joy in grandmothering those boys.

And last but certainly not least -- her soul mate and love of her life -- Rod Julander, whom she met while attending the U of U, working on a project in a class about the politics of nursing. They were married for 40 years and were truly dedicated to each other in every way. Paula kept Rod well-fed with her amazing baked goods, particularly her specialty... homemade pies. And Rod never left her side in a moment of need. He supported every political campaign, wrote many speeches and was always her biggest fan. As she declined in health over the last few years, his continual presence during difficult times was unwavering. Theirs is a true love story.

Paula is survived by her husband, Rod O. Julander and her daughter, Julie McMahan Shipman (Bo Andreini). She is also survived by her grandsons: Peter Shipman of SLC; Dr. Hank Shipman (Kayla Sebest) of SLC, and Jack Shipman (Grace Adamson) of NYC. And, Rod's children: Dirk (Kayoko) Julander, Treg (Jenny) Julander, Jori (Russ) Barton, and Tracy (Chad) Hancey... along with their many children.

Please consider a donation to the Paula F Julander Endowed Scholarship for Nurse Practitioners at Westminster University; https://bit.ly/JulanderScholarship.

Paula participated in the advisory committee that created the Westminster MS in Nursing-Family Practitioner degree (MSN-FNP) in 1995 believing that nurses with advanced degrees could ease the burdens of doctors, in turn improving our healthcare system. In 2013, she created the scholarship to support this advanced nursing degree. Any donation would be greatly appreciated and directly help fulfill her lifetime goals.

Services are to be held at Westminster University in the Vieve Gore Concert Hall located in the Jewett Center for the performing arts and Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory. The Memorial Service will begin at noon with a light reception to follow until 3:00 pm. Parking is permitted in the north parking structure, off 17th South. Anyone who knew Paula and would like to help us celebrate her life is welcome to attend.