Paul VanTreeck

Paul VanTreeck, 82, of Clive, IA passed away unexpectedly at home on April 1, 2022.

He was born September 12, 1939 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the son of the late Aloys and Margaret (Jentges) VanTreeck. He grew up on a multi-generation family dairy farm. Paul graduated from Oostburg High School, followed by four years of service in the U.S. Army.  In 1962, Paul met and married his life partner Karen Kalupa. He then began a 33-year management career at Sears, where he worked in Sheboygan, WI; Billings, MT; and Des Moines, IA. After retiring from Sears, he spent 10 years building custom homes, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Paul cherished time spent with Karen, his sons, and grandchildren. While living in Montana, Paul fell in love with the outdoors and beautiful landscapes, particularly things unique to the American West – camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and skiing. These hobbies were the focal point for frequent family vacations to Wisconsin, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana over the years with his children and grandchildren.

Paul found great joy in helping others. When neighbors and friends had a difficult project or home repair, he quickly provided help, earning the reputation as being able to build or fix anything for anyone. Before vacations to visit his children’s homes, he frequently scheduled projects and brought the needed tools and materials to complete the task at hand. Decks, patios, retaining walls, and windows were some of the projects he completed while on “vacation”. He welcomed his grandchildren into the world with a beautiful walnut cradle, and later followed with desks, bunk beds, and jewelry boxes, eventually passing on some of these skills to them. With his strong faith he brought his skills as a craftsman to his church, where he became known as the person who could always be relied upon to take on challenging tasks requested by the parish staff.

Paul also became an outstanding caregiver for Karen as her dementia progressed. He was able to take care of all the household responsibilities while still managing to help his family and church with the many projects he enjoyed working on throughout his life.

Paul is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Karen; sons Mike (Pam) of Batavia, IL, Pat of Sacramento, CA, and Dan of Austin, TX; grandchildren Andrew, Kelly, Claire, Ainsley, and Siena; sister Delores Mueller; brother Alvin VanTreeck; and many dear nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Evelyn McCabe and Mildred Haen, and brother Melvin VanTreeck.

Please join us in celebrating Paul’s life at the visitation and funeral services listed below.

West Des Moines, IA visitation and funeral services:

Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Rd., West Des Moines, IA 50266

Visitation Thursday, April 7 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. followed by Rosary ceremony
Visitation Friday, April 8 from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Funeral Mass Friday, April 8 at 11:00 a.m. followed by Luncheon for all at church.
Streaming Options – can be viewed live or anytime after:

Funeral Mass April 8, 2022, 11:00am Central https://youtu.be/nyOlzRGzaN8
Eulogies at Funeral Luncheon, following Mass, approximately 12:15pm Central- https://youtu.be/FuCtIr9cESg

Sheboygan Falls, WI visitation and funeral services:

Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, 319 Giddings Ave, Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085,

Visitation Monday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m.

Funeral Mass Monday, April 11 at 11:00 a.m.
Burial following Mass at St. George Catholic Cemetery, Sheboygan Falls
Luncheon / Eulogies following Burial at Blessed Trinity Church.

Livestream or recording of Mass can be viewed at www.wenig.live/PaulVanTreeck

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Paul VanTreeck’s memory to Mary’s Meals Inc. USA, 75 Orchard Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.