Obituary: Dr. Jay S. Paulen

Dr. Jay S. Paulen had a life-long passion for dentistry. Through dentistry, he expressed his artistic creativity, practiced technical agility and was an entrepreneur and businessman.

He instilled his love of dentistry and business in his children. His daughter, Brenda, joined him in practice as a dentist. His son, Jeff, trained and built a large dental lab, New Image, that serves hundreds of dentists. His son, Kevin, built his own business with his wife, Oasis Landscapes & Irrigation. All their children work in their parents’ family businesses, carrying on the tradition.

Dr. Jay Paulen was born August 23rd, 1932, in Bayonne, N.J. He moved with his parents to Miami, Fla., in 1949, where he attended college, then to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Dentistry, class of 1958. Here he met an Atlanta girl, Roselee Fogel. They married and raised their three children in the Toco Hills neighborhood.

Jay loved photography, stained glass, building design and woodworking. He always had a project that pulled in his children and neighbors to help. But Jay was devoted to dentistry, practicing till he was 80. He was a member of the ADA, GDA, Hinman and Alpha Omega. He served as a Trustee of the International Alpha Omega Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Jewish dental organization.

Dr. Paulen was a major donor to the Emory University School of Dentistry, and through AO, to the Hadassah dental schools in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Dr. Jay participated, with his wife Roselee, on Flying Doctor missions, as well as local Mission of Mercy events. He volunteered for many years at the Ben Massell Dental Clinic in downtown Atlanta.

Dr. Jay Paulen is survived by Roselee Fogel Paulen; his children, Dr. Brenda Paulen, Jeffrey Paulen, Kevin Paulen and Robin Loewenstein; eleven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Donations can be made to the Alpha Omega Dental Foundation. A graveside funeral was held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31 at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. To sign the online guestbook, visit www.dresslerjewishfunerals.com. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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