Neal Paulsen, 43, died March 14, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina after a long illness. His passing comes as a heavy loss for those fortunate enough to be a part of Neal’s life.

He was born, June 6, 1975 and grew up in Danvers, Massachusetts. Neal was fortunate to grow up surrounded by lots of extended family. His Papa nicknamed Neal, “Vito,” when he was a teenager, which always made him smile. Some fond childhood memories were of spending time exploring the beach and of his Uncle Danny teaching him to box on a heavy bag. He also found love for martial arts, and he went on to earn a black belt in Kempo Karate.

Education was important to Neal. He earned two college degrees, a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Salem State University, and a Master of Science in Business Administration from North Carolina State University in 2011. Anyone close to Neal understood how intelligent he was with his ability to recall specifics of math, science, and chemistry, was something to be envious.

Most importantly, Neal was a dedicated husband and father. He met his love, Megumi, in Boston. They married a year later in 2000. They were blessed by the birth of their daughter, Alyssa in 2010. Alyssa has benefited Neal and Megumi in so many wonderful ways over the past eight years. Looking into Alyssa’s eyes or speaking to her for a short period of time, you see a part of Neal and understand his intelligence lives within her.

Aside from Megumi and Alyssa, Neal is survived by his mother, Kathy Tacelli; father, Dean Paulsen; sister, Tracy Paulsen; grandfather, Angelo (Papa) Passeri; grandmother, Catherine (Nana) Passeri; uncles and aunts, Paul and Suzanne Passeri, Mary Beth and Dan Tobin, Dan and JoAnn Passeri, and many beloved cousins.

A viewing and funeral service will be held at Renaissance Funeral Home, 7615 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27615 on Saturday, March 23, 2019. The viewing will begin at 11:30 am with the funeral service immediately following after at 12:30 pm. The family will only be receiving guests prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are being accepted for Alyssa's college fund by visiting this link: https://go.fidelity.com/mnxrb