Craig's Linda Mae Paulson Dies at 75 After 27 Years at Mather’s Bar

The neon sign at Mather’s Bar flickers on Yampa Avenue, casting a familiar glow over the parking lot where locals have gathered for decades. Inside, the air still holds the scent of stale beer and floor wax, marking the place where she poured drinks for 27 years. Linda Mae Paulson didn’t just work at the bar; she was the anchor of the community, the person who remembered your name and your order before you sat down. She died at her home in Craig on May 27, 2026, surrounded by family, but her presence is etched into the physical fabric of our town.

Paulson’s life wasn’t just about bartending or bookkeeping. It was a timeline of hard work that spanned three states and several industries. Born in Wagner, South Dakota, in 1951, she moved through the rhythm of rural life before settling into roles that defined her adult years. She married Douglas Matuska in 1973, had a daughter, Lori, and then found her lifelong partner, Jack E. Paulson, in 1993. They married in Las Vegas and built a life that included Jack E. Paulson Trucking.

Let’s look at the numbers. Paulson worked at Mather’s Bar, located at 466 Yampa Avenue, for nearly three decades. That is 27 years of night shifts. It’s a staggering amount of time spent standing on concrete floors, managing inventory, and maintaining the social infrastructure of Craig. Simultaneously, she handled the books for the trucking business, ensuring the logistics of moving freight across the West Slope stayed accurate.

Before the bar and the trucking, she spent over 20 years with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the wildfire department. She retired from the BLM in 2006. That’s two decades of monitoring fire risks across public lands, a job that required precision and endurance. She then transitioned to full-time support of Jack’s trucking operation, handling the financial side with what the obituary describes as "precision and care." She fully retired from Paulson Trucking in 2022, stepping away from the business she helped sustain for nearly three decades.

The obituary notes she was survived by her husband, Jack; her daughter, Lori; and stepdaughter, Trisha Stalcar. It lists step-grandchildren Bethany, Cody, Dylan, and Alexis. It mentions her sister, Rita, and brother, David. The details are specific. The locations are clear. This isn’t a vague summary of a life well-lived; it’s a record of a woman who contributed to the local economy and social structure in tangible ways.

The memorial service took place on June 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Grant Mortuary, located at 621 Yampa Avenue. That’s the same street where she worked at the bar. The connection is geographic and symbolic. After the graveside service, there was a catered get-together back at Mather’s Bar. The community didn’t just mourn her; they celebrated her in the place she knew best.

Consider the longevity of her tenure. 27 years at one establishment is rare in today’s gig economy. It suggests stability. It suggests loyalty. It suggests that when Paulson was working, Craig had a reliable hub for both business and leisure. The obituary doesn’t just list dates; it outlines a career of service. She died at 75. She left behind a family that cared for her until the end, and a town that knew her name. The bar is still there. The trucking business continues. The numbers don’t lie, but the individual who managed them is gone.