Paul Garvin

     Paul Robert Garvin was born on January 13, 1932, to John and Gertrude (Daldrup) Garvin. He was born on the family farm in Monona County, Iowa, and died on October 12, 2026, in Austin, Minnesota.

     Paul attended the Lovell country school through 8th grade. During his high school years, Paul was responsible for most of the farming on the family farm. He also occasionally worked at Brown Manufacturing in Woodbine. He graduated from Woodbine Normal High School in 1950.

     In 1953, Paul was drafted into the US Army. After completing basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, he was stationed at Hokkaido, Japan. He trained as a radar operator and attended radar repair training in Yokohama, Japan. In April 1955, Paul was honorably discharged from the Army.

     On April 2, 1956, Paul and Mary Ann Hein were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Woodbine, Iowa. After they were married, Paul began farming full-time. They lived in Monona County for a short time and then moved to rural Dunlap for several years as they began raising their daughters, Debbie, Diane, and Judi. In 1965, Paul and Mary Ann bought and moved to the Ralph Royer farm in rural Woodbine. After retiring and moving to Denison in December of 1996, Paul still enjoyed going out to the farms. In 2023, the Monona County farm where Paul was born was recognized as an Iowa Century Farm.

     Paul and Mary Ann both learned to water ski in Canada in 1961. He said the water was so cold that he had to get up and keep going. Paul bought a kit for a wooden boat which he built during the winter of 1962. This boat served them well and Paul always said they taught half the county to ski behind it.

     Paul served on the boards of the Dunlap Farmer’s Cooperative and the Woodbine REC. He and Mary Ann attended the First Congregational Church in Dunlap and Faith Wesleyan and Grace Evangelical Free churches in Denison. Paul and Mary Ann traveled to several places in the United States and many foreign countries. Two of their favorite places were Estes Park, Colorado, and Maui, Hawaii.

     In later years, Paul provided daily care for Mary Ann until she passed away in 2016. Others who preceded him in death were his parents, John and Gertrude Garvin; brothers, Johnny and Jim Garvin; sister, Mary (Chet) Kapalla; brother-in-law, Leo Wakehouse; brother-in-law, Wesley Hein (Karen and Mona); sister-in-law, Fern (Lyle) Pryor; and son-in-law, Lowell Vine. He is survived by daughters, Debbie Garvin, Diane (David) Diekmann, and Judi (Dave) Needham; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Travis (Carole-Marie) and Madison Diekmann, Mike (Krystle), Macie, Heidi, and Annie Diekmann, Amy (Jordan) and Paul Thompson, Josh (Laura), Zoey, and Wyatt Needham, Rachel (Matt), Lucy, and Micah Berka; sister, Kathy Wakehouse; and other relatives.

     Special thanks to the staff at Silveridge Assisted Living in Denison, Iowa, and St. Mark’s Assisted Living in Austin, Minnesota.

     Memorials are suggested to be given to the Dunlap Fire and Rescue, the Woodbine Fire and Rescue, or the charity of your choice. Personal condolences may be mailed to the Paul Garvin Family, 1800 14th St SW, Austin, MN 55912 or Fouts Funeral Home.

     A visitation with light refreshments will be held beginning at 11:00 am on Friday, October 23, 2026, at Fouts Funeral Home in Dunlap, Iowa. The memorial service will follow at 1:00 pm.