Paul Harvey Lionberger

Paul Harvey Lionberger, 85, of Decorah, IA passed away on Sunday, June 27, 2010 Reverend/Captain Paul Harvey Lionberger of Decorah passed away on June 27, 2010 at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. He was 85 years old. The memorial service is at Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Decorah, Friday, July 2, at 11 a.m. Paul was born in Bremerton, Wash. May 15, 1925. From an early age, he was fascinated by the Navy and fondly remembered visiting the naval shipyard down the hill from his home. At 16, he went to work in that very shipyard, repairing ships damaged in Pearl Harbor. At age 17, he enlisted in the Navy. Following World War II, he attended Luther College in Decorah, IA, spending his summers leading groups of young Christians to work in the forests of Idaho. It was while at Luther that he met his future wife, Justine Holum: the two were married in 1950. He graduated from Luther in 1949 and from Luther Theological Seminary in 1953. He served as Luthers Dean of Men and taught in the Bible department until 1962. He received the Distinguished Service Award from Luther in 1984.Paul returned to active duty in the Navy as a chaplain in 1962, proudly serving God and country for almost 17 years, including wartime service in Vietnam, where he held 11 services a week with the 3rd Marine Division. He served with the Mediterranean fleet, Caribbean fleet and the Iceland Defense Force. He earned the Presidential Unit Citation Third Marine Division in 1966 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1979.Pauls many parishes included St. Paul Lutheran in St. Maries, Idaho; Trinity Lutheran in Lynnwood, Wash.; St. Paul Lutheran in Kodiak, Alaska; visitation pastor at Immanuel Lutheran in Cresco and interims at Bethel Presbyterian in West Union; Washington Prairie Lutheran in Decorah; East Claremont Lutheran in Claremont; Hawkeye Lutheran in Hawkeye; Immanuel Lutheran in Cresco; Calmar-Springfield Lutheran in Calmar; Garness-Scheie Lutheran Church in Mabel, Minn. and Salem United Church of Christ in Waukon. In the summer of 1993, Paul led English services in Talinn, Estonia. In addition to his ministry, Paul was an avid carpenter. He built his first church in St. Maries, Idaho and initiated the building of a hospital there. He completed a church in Kodiak, Alaska, and built a home for his family in Decorah, now Norby Court at Luther.Pauls motto was: "I am rich by what I give." He was dedicated to giving, from donating to charities to collecting supplies for orphanages in Vietnam to sharing his home with Laotian refugees for over 20 years. He built homes for Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica, planted trees in Central America, and challenged his congregations to feed the hungry around the world, even raising money to send rice to North Korea. He donated his property of some 175 acres of land to Luther College to be used for environmental study. Paul was a keen reader and a life-long learner and loved to explore other cultures. Often accompanied by his wife, he traveled to over 47 different countries.He is survived by his wife, Justine, four daughters, Mary (Doug) Marske of Spencer; Ann (Mitch) Baker of Annapolis, Md.; Ruth (Jack) Booman of Spring Grove, Minn.; Martha (Paul McQuade) Lionberger, of New Market, Tenn.; eight grandchildren, two sisters-in-law, Norma Lionberger and Martha Holum, and his beloved dog, Plato. Graveside services will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2010 at Coon Prairie Cemetery in rural Westby, WI. Pastor Dennis Hallemeier will officiate with military honors provided by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Vosseteig Funeral Home of Westby is serving the family.