Paula Jean Dessner, 61, of Byron, MN, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 15th, surrounded by family after an extended battle with cancer.

Paula was born May 14, 1965, in Rochester, MN to Marlow and Lois (McCorkell) Hjellming. She grew up on the family farm and was very active as a youth in 4-H. When Paula was young, her parents bought a Shetland pony named Klinker for her and her siblings to enjoy. This developed into a lifelong love of showing horses on the GCSCA, SEMSCA, and the American Paint Horse Association circuits. She was a very competitive rider and won many awards in various events. She was a member of the Island Riders Saddle Club, capturing the title of queen. During her high school years, she played basketball and was on the Byron Sugar Bears Drill Team. While short in stature, she was fast on the court and could kick as high as any girl on the drill team. She graduated from Byron High School in 1983.

After high school, she attended Rochester Vo-Tech and graduated with a business administration degree.

She then married Dale Dessner and together they had one son, Austin Dessner. They later divorced, and Paula and Austin moved to the Twin Cities where she pursued her career in computer sales. She moved back to the family farm in 2020 and was employed at Mayo Clinic in the Animal Research Division.

Paula loved boating, water skiing, camping, ice fishing, riding horses, riding motorcycles, shopping, and decorating her home. She was a hard worker, enjoyed the outdoors, and took pride in keeping her yard looking great. Her boyfriend Duke shared that some of their biggest smiles came from passing and waving to each other while mowing their yard.

Paula also enjoyed going out on a Friday night with friends for “bubblies” and dancing to hard rock music. She was well known for telling a great story and having a very contagious laugh. She was strong-willed, never afraid to share both her thoughts and opinions with others. And yet at the same time, she was kind and loving to her family and friends.

Her greatest pride and joy in life was her son Austin. Whether they were working festivals with their food trailer “Delicious Delights”, or just hanging out, he was her best buddy and her right-hand man. One of Austin’s greatest childhood memories is breakfast at McDonald’s with Mom on Saturday morning.

While her cancer battle is a surprise to many, she preferred to keep her diagnosis and journey quite private, choosing instead to remain focused on living her life to the fullest each day. We will always remember Paula for her strength, her courage, her beautiful smile, and her positive spirit.

She is survived by her son, Austin Dessner of Savage, MN; her former step-children, Eric Dessner of Dover, MN and Darrin Dessner of Peterson, MN; her boyfriend, Duke McClaflin of Byron; her siblings, Brad (Carissa) Hjellming of Oronoco; and Pam Godwin (Ronald McCollum) of Marshville, North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Marlow and Lois Hjellming.

Services will be held on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home in Rochester, MN. Visitation will be held from 1:00-3:00 PM with the memorial service following at 3:00 PM.

Online condolences are welcome at www.byronfuneralhome.com.

Memorials may be given to the following:

Susan G. Komen (for breast cancer research) www.komen.org

Patchwork Faith Ministries (prayer ministry/counseling for women & children) https://patchworkfaith.podia.com