Obituary for Paul D. Dable

Paul David Dable was born on April 17, 1942 to John and Gertrude Dable in Waukesha, WI. He grew up in a time and place where “a neighborhood was really a neighborhood” and everyone knew each other. He fondly recalled playing softball with his dad, along with all the neighborhood kids and their dads, in the road between their houses when they would block off the street at night. Paul and his sister Marcy were very close from childhood and throughout their entire lives. Paul took after their father: laid back and not always very vocal. Marcy took after their mother and was very outspoken. They were both incredibly smart, honest, and tough. At Northwestern Prep high school in Watertown, WI, Paul became good friends with John Schaewe and they tried to get into trouble whenever possible. Not long after high school, at the age of 18, Paul enlisted in the US Army and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was trained to be a carpenter and was stationed outside of Paris, France for nearly 3 years. He loved his time in France. After being honorably discharged from the Army in 1963, Paul moved back to Waukesha and began working as a land surveyor. He met Carol, a young teacher from Minnesota, while they were both singing in the church choir at Trinity Lutheran. In the summer of 1967, they were married in her home town of New Ulm, MN, on one of the hottest days of the year; she recalls vividly that it was 100 degrees in the shade! Her influence rubbed off on him, and seeing how much she loved teaching, he decided to go back to school and get his degree in education. Using the G.I. Bill to pay for college, he graduated from UW-Parkside in 1971. He took additional night classes to complete WELS teaching certification through DMLC and received a call to teach at Luther High School in Onalaska, WI in 1974. Teaching was truly his calling and the Lord used Paul to impact the lives of thousands of students. Over the years he became a “Renaissance Teacher” and covered whatever subjects were required including Economics, Modern European History, Religion, Psychology, American History, and English. He also led the Drama department for a number of years and enjoyed that very much. He read constantly, always staying up to date on current events and trying to help his students relate the present to past events in history. He was not afraid to tell it like it is, and his students appreciated that. This is how he will be remembered by most. The same qualities that made him an excellent teacher also made him a good father, grandfather, and uncle. He was highly intelligent, highly empathetic, and always attuned to his audience. Dad was a dreamer; he loved to make big plans! He was a great storyteller and may have been known to exaggerate once or twice. He taught us to work hard but to never take ourselves too seriously. He loved all his children patiently, even when they didn’t make it easy. His passion for road trips, camping, fishing, biking, tennis, golf, gardening, grilling, music, talk radio, yard games, card games, board games, and more was certainly inherited. Most importantly, he passed down the Word of God to his children. Paul’s faith and confidence allowed him to have a great sense of humor about this life. He understood very well how hard life is, and he also understood how important it is to be able to laugh. The staff at Rolling Hills can attest to this! He genuinely cared about the people who took care of him there, and we know they cared about him too. We are grateful for the love and respect they showed to Paul. Paul was a friend to many and tried to sincerely connect with people. He was a great talker but also a great listener. He truly cared about people; he lived his faith and he walked the walk. Never did he judge people to be unworthy of his time. He embodied the words of his namesake, “not to think of yourself more highly than you ought” but rather be “willing to associate with people of low position.” “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” Paul was called home to the Lord on August 15, 2021 at the age of 79. Please join us in celebrating Paul’s life as a testimony to the faithfulness of our God! Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 28, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Salem. Rev. Don Frelitz will officiate. A visitation will be held at the church from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Private burial with military honors will be held in Christ Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in West Salem. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorials be directed to: Time of Grace Ministries, Inc. - Milwaukee WI https://give.timeofgrace.org/timeofgrace/donation Luther High School - Onalaska WI https://www.lutherhigh.org/ https://secure.myvanco.com/L-YRZH/home Christ Lutheran Church - West Salem WI http://www.christlutheranwestsalem.com/giving/