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Obituary for Paul William Nolan
Paul William Nolan, 82 of Granger formerly of Stuart passed away on Thursday, January 18, 2018 at the Granger Nursing Home. Rosary service will be held at 5 PM on Thursday, January 25th at the Johnson Family Funeral Home in Stuart. Open visitation will follow the Rosary Service until 7 PM at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 AM on Friday, January 26th at the All Saints Catholic Church in Stuart. Burial will follow the mass at Calvary Cemetery in Stuart. Online condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamillyfuneralhome.com.
A TRIBUTE TO PAUL NOLAN Written by sister, JoAnn Draman
A handsome baby boy, with many golden curls, was born to A.W. (Fuzzy) Nolan and Agnes Nolan on August 7, 1935 at the family farm near Dexter, IA. He was baptized Paul William and welcomed by four sisters, Marilyn, JoAnn, Jane and Mary Gail, and one brother, John.
Fate took a bad turn and Paul William suffered many seizures a few days after his birth, possibly caused by his severe jaundiced condition. It was soon evident that this beautiful baby would not grow to be a strong, healthy man, but his father took pride in dressing him up to go to mass and to town.
Nearly eight years passed, and Paul welcomed a baby sister, Julia. They became close friends as well as siblings. An example was one Sunday there was a Lassie movie playing in Stuart. Paul and Julie, who was about four by this time, went to that movie. It was touching to see them holding hands, while tears rolled down their cheeks as they left the theater. They soon met their older sister, Jane, and her husband, who were concerned about the tears. The children looked up and, in unison, said “Well, it was a sad movie.”
Paul grew to manhood on the family farm south of Stuart, and graduated from Stuart High School in 1953. Despite difficulty walking, he enjoyed hunting for rabbits and squirrels. His excellent eyesight helped him take many of these critters, which he proudly took home for his mother to prepare as a meal.
Another of his great pleasures was driving the tractor for work in the fields, and riding the saddle horse on the farm. When Fuzzy suffered several strokes in 1966, and spent most of the growing season in the hospital, Paul was proud to be able to basically handle all the planting and harvesting, resulting in a good year. Paul and Agnes managed the large hog farrowing operation, and were able to market a fine animal crop also.
He began working at the Veteran’s Hospital in Des Moines. His friendly smile, quick wit and firm handshake made it easy to be a special friend. One friend was a Japanese doctor at the hospital, Tom. Tom’s parents came to visit from Japan and Paul was sooo excited and pleased to bring them to his sister, JoAnn, and brother-in-law, Jack’s farm at Redfield to show them farming techniques in the Midwest.
Paul’s health began to fail and finally he had to have custodial care. He had been a resident at Granger Manor since 1980. His sisters continued to provide for his material needs, sending money, clothes and treats for all the years of his residence.
He passed away quietly in his sleep January 17, 2018, and his fine mind is finally released from the prison of his faulty body. He was preceded in death by his parents, all four older sisters and brother. He is survived by sister, Julie, and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
