Paul Reynold Stemper, 70, of Balltown died Tuesday, April 11, 2023 after a long battle with congestive heart failure. 

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30a.m., Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at Holy Spirit Parish-Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00p.m., Monday, April 17, 2023 at the Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 Kennedy Road where there will be a parish wake service at 7:00p.m. Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

Paul was born August 24, 1952 in Dubuque, son of Phillip “Pete” and Helen (Hamblin) Stemper.  He graduated from Wahlert High School in 1970.

Shortly after graduating high school, Paul went to work at John Deere Dubuque Works, where he worked for over forty years. Paul took pride in his work and was always thankful for his time at John Deere.

On September 13, 1985, he married Diane Weiland at Sacred Heart Church. The two were best friends for thirty-seven years as they raised their sons.

Family was always most important to Paul, and he was always so proud of Matt and Luke. He also loved fishing, hunting, being on the river, or anything outdoors.  When their kids were younger, Paul was active in helping with Boy Scouts, the YMCA swim team, coaching baseball, and teaching CCD. He loved recounting the week-long canoe trips he took with his sons on the Mississippi.

In his late thirties, Paul was diagnosed with lymphoma. Throughout the struggles of his treatment and recovery, he rarely complained and always found energy to keep active with his wife and young sons. He continued to focus on his family while dealing with many heart surgeries and procedures to address the heart disease which impacted the last twenty years of his life. Time with his grandchildren was a special joy during this hardship.

Paul is survived by his wife and best friend, Diane Stemper; two sons, Matt (Dr. Justine) Stemper of Johnston, Iowa and Luke (fiancée Nathalee Grue) Stemper of North Liberty, Iowa; two grandchildren, Eliza and Ezekiel; four siblings, Mary (Jim) Kress, Kathy (Steve) Slaght, Ellen (Bill) Kaiser, Janice Stemper; and a sister-in-law, LaVonne Stemper.  He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by a brother, Peter Stemper.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Dubuque.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Hospice of Dubuque, and all of the other healthcare professionals who have helped during Paul’s health problems, especially Dr. Hillard Salas, Dr. Lawrence Kukla, and the doctors, nurses, and staff at Finley Hospital, Mercy Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, Loyola University Medical Center, and Trinity Medical Center in Moline. They would also like to thank all of their wonderful friends and family who have given support during this time.