Dale E. Paul

Dale E. Paul, 78, of Edgar unexpectedly went to his Lord and Savior on Thursday, September 2, 2021 in the presence of his family.  May he rest in peace. 

He was born April 26, 1943, in Athens, the son of the late Ferdinand Sr. and Sidonia (Bergmann) Paul.  An Athens high school graduate, he competed in multiple sports including men’s volleyball, basketball, and baseball.  As a pitcher on the baseball team, Dale threw a no-hitter his junior year. 

Dale proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1961-1964, primarily as a Military Police officer.  He worked a variety of jobs in Milwaukee and Chicago before deciding to move back to Central Wisconsin in 1967.  Dale’s passion for automobiles led him to purchase a brand new Dodge Charger RT in 1968 for $3,600 – a car that he cared for meticulously and is still in the family’s possession.     

On May 3, 1969, he married Karen Johnson at St. John’s Catholic Church in Edgar.  This past May, Dale and Karen celebrated 52 years of marriage.  In those years, they were blessed with three children-- Heather, Forrest, and Zachary, and eleven grandchildren.  Family was of the greatest importance to Dale, and he loved spending time with his family and friends.  He was known by his family for his constant teasing and famous one liners. His love for his grandchildren was unprecedented. He had a very special and unique relationship with each grandchild and they came to expect his funny comments with enthusiasm, hoping to have a response that would make him laugh in return.

Dale’s early mornings, work ethic, and discipline were refined while working in the municipal construction trade.  He lived a life of service. As a crane operator, he constructed wastewater treatment plants for countless communities across Wisconsin. He traveled extensively for work but would often drive multiple hours after a long day to be home for a few hours to see his family, sleep a few hours, and then leave to be at the jobsite 30 minutes before start time. After “retiring”, Dale worked for the Village of Edgar in the Streets and Parks department. He loved his adopted hometown of Edgar and took pride in his work maintaining the many parks and public spaces in the village.  Manual labor was his love and pride, and he was especially passionate about making firewood. Through this work he met and grew strong friendships with many people in the community.  Dale passed away while helping a neighbor - may we all continue to live by his example.

Dale’s other passions included his home state of Wisconsin and the great outdoors.  Through his work travels he came to know the location of every small town and village, and usually knew how to get there “through the backroads”.  When traveling out of state, he typically commented that the air smelled a helluva a lot better in Wisconsin!  He loved the Packers and Brewers, but often disagreed with their coaching decisions.  He enthusiastically cheered for Edgar sports as well, especially the football and basketball teams.  Every year his gardens produced vegetables shared with friends, and if there was a patch of grass or weeds in the village that he noticed hadn’t been mowed he would find a way to add it to his weekly routine.  He also loved sitting on his deck, enjoying a Spotted Cow beer and reading the paper or a sports magazine. Mostly, Dale enjoyed his daily visits to his hunting land where he would find a new project to work on each visit in preparation for his next grouse or deer hunt.   

Survivors include his loving wife Karen Paul, Edgar, his children, Heather (Chad) Nelson, DeForest, Forrest (Kylee) Paul, Grand Rapids, MI and Zachary (Shanna) Paul, Edgar, 10 grandchildren, Carver, Ava and Cale Nelson, Kellen, Brecken and Henleigh Paul and Cassius, Elliana, Evienne and Crosby Paul, two sisters, Janice (Don) Rauen, Wausau and Dorothy Paul, West Bend.

Besides his parents he was preceded in death by his grandson, Clayton Paul and his brothers, Ferdinand Jr. and Norbert.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. Friday, September 10, 2021, at St. John’s Catholic Church, Edgar.  The Rev. Alan Wierzba will preside.  Private family burial will be in the parish cemetery.  Visitation will be held on Friday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of services all at the church.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests honoring Dale by using the money to serve a friend or neighbor in need.