Paul Preston Kepler

Paul Preston Kepler, 87, of Lisbon, died Friday, July 06, 2012, at Hallmark Care and Rehabilitation Center. Funeral services 10:30 a.m., Monday, at the Lisbon United Methodist Church by the Reverend Tom Mattson. The family will greet friends Sunday from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Morgan Funeral Choices, Mount Vernon. His burial will be in Lisbon Cemetery with military honors. Surviving Paul are: his wife Jeannette, Lisbon, and his children: Steven Kepler, Cedar Rapids, Corrine and Charles Waters, North Liberty, and Kay and Bill Riffey, Cedar Rapids; step-son Brent and Diane McAfee, Martelle; 21 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren; and a sister Caroline Cramer, Estherville. Preceding Paul in death were his parents, his first wife Naomi, a brother Merle Louis, and step-son Kevin McAfee. Paul was born in rural Mount Vernon, December 11, 1924, the second child of Merle and Gladys Kettering Kepler. He graduated from Lisbon High School in 1942. Paul enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December of 1942, serving aboard the U.S.S. Columbia CL-56 in the Pacific during WWII. Since 1985, he was a member of the U.S.S. Columbia Reunion Association where he served a year as president. He and Jeannette hosted a U.S.S. Columbia Reunion in Branson, Missouri, in 2005. Paul was member of the American Legion Cyclops Post #109 of Lisbon for over sixty years. In his early years, he hauled cream to the Lisbon Creamery. He managed the Lisbon Swine Testing Station, and his entire life involved farming. Paul was a member of the Lisbon United Methodist Church. Paul lived in the Lisbon-Mount Vernon area his entire life where he enjoyed two loving marriages and raised three children. Farming, his grandchildren, and his Navy activities were his greatest pleasures. Memorials in Paul's honor will be given to: the Lisbon United Methodist Church, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flights for WWII Veterans, the Lisbon Legion Cyclops Post #109. On-line condolences: www.morganfuneralchoices.com