....When sports aren't important

The Twins lost to the Yankees last night. They had a great year and provided their fans with alot of good moments. This is not a post about the Twins however.

This post is for my friend Paul Allen Hemmingsen. Paul passed away October 10th in a tragic car crash near my hometown.

The Obituary below supplied(copied and pasted) by the Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home:

Paul Hemmingsen

(August 13, 1972 - October 10, 2009)

Paul Hemmingsen, age 37, of Fosston, MN, passed away on Saturday (October 10th) as a result of injuries he sustained in an automobile accident near Fosston. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday (October 16th) at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fosston with Father Dave Super presiding. Interment will be in Kingo Lutheran Cemetery, Fosston. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. prayer service on Thursday (October 15th) and for one hour prior to the service on Friday, all at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fosston. Arrangements are with the Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home of Fosston and messages of condolence may be sent at carlinhoialmen.com.

Paul Allen Hemmingsen was born on August 13, 1972 in Bagley, Minnesota to parents Allen and Linda (Schofield) Hemmingsen. He was baptized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fosston. Paul grew up in Fosston and graduated from Fosston High School with the class of 1991. He then attended Moorhead Technical College, graduating with a degree in architectural drafting. Following his graduation, he moved to the Twin Cities and worked for HGA in Plymouth, Minnesota. He returned to Fosston in 1998 and began work with Widseth, Smith & Nolting in their offices located in Crookston, Grand Forks and Bemidji.

Paul was united in marriage to Leah Ann Palubicki on August 16, 2003 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. In 2008, Paul returned to his family’s business, Hemmingsen Masonry, and worked with his uncle and brother.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. A favorite annual event for Paul was the fishing opener, spent with his good friends and he loved spending time training and hunting with dog, Duke. Paul was also an avid reader and was always interested in furthering his knowledge in a variety of areas.

Survivors include his wife, Leah of Fosston; his mother, Linda Hemmingsen of Fosston; sister, Barb (Mark) Hagen and their children, Camille and Shelby, of Fosston; brother, Bradley (Emily) of Fosston; paternal grandmother, Irma Hemmingsen of Fosston; paternal grandfather, Delmont Hemmingsen of Erskine; sisters-in-law, Tara (Andy) Ordonez and their children, Natasha and Ian of Buffalo, MN; Alison (Derek) Broadley and their children, Lochlan and Karsten of Bermuda; Meghan Palubicki and her son, Thatcher of Fosston; father and mother-in-law, Jim and Nina Palubicki of Fosston. Numerous aunts, uncles and cousins also survive.

He was preceded in death by his father, Allen; and maternal grandparents, Donald and Helen Schofield.

Honorary Pallbearers will be the Fosston High School Class of 1991. Active Pallbearers will be Joel Olson, Jimmy Lomen, Jerry Thom, Pat Slough, Craig Hemmingsen and Chad Hemmingsen. 

I have known Paul since I was 5 years old. Most of my memories center around listening to Kiss and Motley Crue tunes in High School and driving around in his 1977 Trans Am. As we grew up we shifted focus to Rolling Stones tunes. I can't listen to a Stones tune without thinking about him or emulating his Keith Richards guitar motion. He enjoyed fishing, sports, and listening to good tunes in his garage.

I regret not seeing him more often the last couple years. The jerk should have come to Chicago this summer to go to those Twins and Cubs games. It's tough to make time with family and holidays and living so far away. I didn't get a last chance to get him in trouble with his wife Leah one last time. :).

This blog will continue with business as usual in a few days. I have a story on dutch baseball I am working on and am also working on a superstition story. For now though, I am going to appreciate my family and friends. I will go home this week and pay my respects to my friend and then have drinks and tell stories with many more friends.

Since this is a Twins blog I will relay one story. In the mid 90s..... 94-95ish, Paul and I went to a Twins game. The atmosphere was so bad and the team was so bad that we got bored and fell asleep, right in the Metrodome(we were probably up late the night before). It's the only time I have ever fell asleep at a ballgame.

So, to honor my friend Paul, I will forever dedicate this blog to him. The blog is still new and as the content gets better, i hope it will indeed be an honor. Here is a great song for a great guy. I tried to post it directly, but had technical difficulties. It was one of his favorites and it fits the moment. Raise a glass for a great guy.

Rest in Peace My Friend,

Shawn