Deacon Paul Gengler , 61, of Le Mars, Iowa, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at his home in Le Mars.

Deacon Paul's wishes were to have services at both worship sites of All Saints Parish in Le Mars. His Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at All Saints Catholic Parish - St. Joseph Church in Le Mars. Father Bruce Lawler will celebrate Mass. Father Kevin Richter, Father Paul Eisele, Father Timothy Pick, Father Douglas Klein, Father Travis Crotty, and other Priests in the Sioux City Diocese will concelebrate. Deacon Mike Higgins and other Deacons in the Sioux City Diocese will be assisting. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars. His visitation with his family present will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at All Saints Catholic Parish - St. James Church in Le Mars. There will be a Parish Rosary at 3:00 p.m. and a Scriptural Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m., all at All Saints Catholic Parish - St. James Church. Visitation will resume from 9:30 a.m. until service time on Wednesday at All Saints Parish - St. Joseph Church in Le Mars. Arrangements are with the Rexwinkel Funeral Home in Le Mars. Expressions of sympathy can be extended to the family through www.rexwinkelfh.com .

In lieu of flowers and gifts, Paul's wishes were that memorials be made to the Gehlen Catholic Endowment Fund for tuition assistance.

Paul Michael Gengler, the son of Michael and Marlene (Gotto) Gengler, was born on April 6, 1961, in Le Mars, Iowa. He was baptized and confirmed at St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars. He attended school at Gehlen Catholic, graduating high school in 1979. While in school, he began helping his father at the Le Mars Body Shop, where he continued to work, alongside his father and brother, for the next 20 years.

He was united in marriage to the love of his life Denise Fetzer on December 17, 1988, at St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars.

Paul continued working at the Le Mars Body Shop until the late 1990s, when he started having health problems. The next 25 years of his career were characterized by his entrepreneurial spirit and a work ethic learned from his parents, starting several storage businesses to serve the northwest Iowa community's needs. He started small, growing the business into one of the largest storage operations in the area, Le Mars Public Storage. In 2018, he sold the business due to health problems.

Paul was very proud of his Catholic faith and the call to serve others— particularly in providing comfort and support in times of hardship, loss, and grief—was his life's work in the last 20 years of his life. In May of 2014, he was ordained a permanent Deacon in the Sioux City Catholic Diocese. After his ordination, he devoted his time and efforts to All Saints Parish and to helping people in their time of need. He was a lifelong supporter of Gehlen Catholic School, serving multiple terms on the school board, including as board president. Paul was instrumental in starting the "Feed Just One" program in Le Mars, and took several trips to Honduras alongside Gehlen students and staff. Paul's commitment to serving his community also included many years coaching little league baseball, and later softball, as he coached his daughters. Despite experiencing serious health problems for most of his life, Paul always maintained a true joy of living, creating a bucket list during one of many hospital stays. He took many trips to California with and to visit family, where he liked to eat good food and drink even better wine. He sought to experience all the beauty the world has to offer, embarking on multiple extended hiking excursions, including the Grand Canyon and three legs of the Appalachian Trail, and going skydiving along the Florida coast. With his wife, he went on pilgrimage to Israel and cruised the Danube river through Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Paul was planning and looking forward to more travel with his family and friends in the coming years.

Paul's family was his greatest joy. He loved spending time with them, especially his beloved granddaughters. Paul always put his family first, doing everything he could to ensure they were and would be taken care of.

Survivors include his wife, Denise of Le Mars; a daughter: Sarah Gengler and her husband, Shahryar Naqvi of Washington, D.C.; a daughter: Erica Gengler of Le Mars, and her daughters, Julia and Clara; his parents, Mike and Marlene Gengler of Le Mars; his siblings: Richard (AnnaBelle) Gengler of Le Mars, Teresa (Scott) Held of Hinton, IA, and Lisa (Steve) Schnepf of Le Mars; his in laws: Michael (Bernita) Fetzer of Cedar Rapids, IA, David (Jeannie) Fetzer of Williamsburg, IA, Jerry (Sandy) Fetzer of Marion, IA, Diane (Bob) Embrury of Plattsmouth, NE, Kevin (Susan) Fetzer of Denver, NC, Sheila (Craig) Stanerson of Williamsburg, IA, and Pamela (Stu) Stahl of Summerville, SC; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Elsa Gengler; his father and mother-in-law, Lester and Jean Fetzer; his nephew, Michael Gengler; and many beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Paul's memory will live on in all those whose lives he touched and in each of our acts of service and empathy for one another.