Paul Hauser

Paul Hauser, 91, of Hampton, passed away on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hampton with burial in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in rural Nashua. Visitation will be on Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. at the church. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sietsema-Atkinson Funeral Home in Hampton. 

Paul David Hauser was born on August 19, 1932, to Frederick and Amelia (Litterer) Hauser on his family’s farm in Butler County, Iowa. From kindergarten through 8th grade, Paul attended a one-room country schoolhouse near his home, Fremont No. 8. He graduated from Greene High School in 1951. Paul then attended Upper Iowa University in Fayette for one year before realizing that he wanted to experience life outside of a classroom and beyond Iowa’s borders.

Paul enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1952 and served for four years during the Korean War. Back then, Coast Guardsmen manned lighthouses up and down the eastern and western coasts of the United States as well as other American coastlines. Paul worked in lighthouses in Alaska, Maine, and California. He also spent significant time on numerous rivers, breaking ice and assisting barges.

One such trip in 1955 found Paul working on the Illinois River in Peoria, Illinois. A buddy asked Paul to go on a double date with him and his girlfriend. Paul had a car, but not a date, so the buddy’s girlfriend fixed him up with Joyce Ann Gullette from Peoria. Paul was immediately smitten with Joyce, who didn’t repay the favor at first. However, with Paul’s persistence and a heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, Joyce relented and agreed to another date with him. Paul and Joyce were married on February 16, 1957, in Peoria. For 67 years, Paul never missed giving Joyce a heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day.

Paul and Joyce were blessed with four children – Philip, Steven, Debra, and Paula. Initially, the couple owned a dairy farm in rural Clarksville, Iowa. After 10 years of farming, Paul again decided he needed new adventures. They sold the farm and in 1969, Paul joined New York Life Insurance Company as a life insurance agent, a position he maintained up until his death.

Paul’s ability to connect with people coupled with his strong work ethic allowed him to excel in the insurance industry. In addition to earning numerous trips for sales accomplishments over the years, he also obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter and Certified Financial Consultant designations. Paul was a leader in the insurance field, having served as president of the Iowa Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (IAIFA) in 2000. He also received the Agent of the Year Award from IAIFA in 2004.

Paul’s leadership skills spread into the community as well. After moving to Hampton, Iowa, in 1969, Paul, Joyce, and the family joined Trinity Lutheran Church, where Paul served in numerous leadership roles throughout the years. He was also active in Hampton’s Kiwanis Club, where he served as president on two different occasions and eventually became Lieutenant Governor of the Nebraska-Iowa Division 7.

It's safe to say that Paul’s hobby was his work, but every so often, he’d find time to travel with Joyce, fish with his sons and nephews, attend an air show, or visit a historic landmark. Paul loved history, especially related to World War II, and he spent hours reading books and watching documentaries about the subject. Paul was proud to be a veteran, and especially enjoyed participating in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in 2014 to visit the war memorials. Paul’s greatest joy, however, was his family.

Left to cherish Paul’s memory are his wife, Joyce; his children Philip (Kristi) Hauser, Steven (Jeannie Hindman) Hauser, Debra (Mark) Dunnick, and Paula (Craig) Van Brocklin; his 12 grandchildren Jill (Ryan) Harvey, Jennifer (Matthew) Struck, Jayne (Matthew) Becker; Zachary (Jillian) Hauser, Emily (Benjamin) Hansen, CaraLynne (Justin) Meyer, Jessica (Eric) Webb, Katie (Nathan) Muhs, Joshua (Jessica) Dunnick, Amanda Dunnick, Megan (Drew) Smith, and Jacob Van Brocklin; his 21 great-grandchildren Philip and Benjamin Harvey; Samuel and Ella Struck; Lily and Lydia Becker; Grayson, Brady, and Baby #3 Hauser; Baylor, Shep, and Graham Hansen; Brayden Meyer; Kellen, Bennett, and Lincoln Webb; Madelyn, Connor, and Karina Muhs; and Coda and Iris Dunnick; brother-in-law Charles (Nena) Gullette; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Those who joyfully greeted Paul in heaven included his parents; siblings Leonard Hauser, Theophil Hauser, Helen Stille, Eldon Hauser, and Luella Stirm; brothers-in-law Paul Stille and Edwin Stirm; sisters-in-law Edna Hauser and Evelyn Hauser; and numerous friends who were like family.

Blessed be the memory of Paul Hauser.