“His relationship with Bob’s dad really shaped his life,” Becky Pohlad said.
Paul R. Christen was born in Minneapolis on March 11, 1929. The Christen family moved to Mitchell, S.D., to open a bakery the young Christen would work at through high school.
Christen attended Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell and remained attached to it for life, donating heavily and serving as a trustee.
“Paul’s legacy at DWU, in our state and with the organizations he served will be felt for generations,” the university said in a statement.
After college, Christen married Donna “Muffy” Starr, and the couple made a home in Huron, S.D., opening their own bakery and buying a house in 1954 that remained Christen’s home for the rest of his life.
He pivoted to real estate with Dr. Paul Hohm in 1962, and the two eventually became the largest property owners in South Dakota.