The Rev. E. Paul Riedel

The Rev. E. Paul Riedel, 88, of Nampa, entered into Eternal Rest on Thursday, May 10, 2007, having passed away at his home. A funeral service to honor and celebrate his life will be held at 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 14, at Zion Lutheran Church, 404 Nectarine St. in Nampa. Entombment will follow at the Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, Caldwell. Friends may call at the Alsip & Persons Funeral Chapel, 404 10th Ave. S., Nampa, 466-3545, from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.
Pastor Riedel was born of missionary parents on June 5, 1918, at Hankow, China. His father, E.H. Riedel, was the second Lutheran missionary to go to China in 1915 with his wife Carmelia (Becher) Riedel. God blessed this marriage with eight children: sisters, Dorothy Hartle and Marie Schwenessen, Pastor Riedel and brothers John, Gerhardt, Joseph, Theadore and Herbert. All but two of these children were born in China.
Pastor Riedel attended Filer High School, then graduated from Concordia Junior College in June of 1938. He graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., in 1943, including a one-year internship at the Lutheran Church in Lodi, Calif.
It was in Lodi that Pastor Riedel met Lydia Heinitz and they were married in Lodi on Oct. 3, 1943. The couple began their ministry that fall in Wallace-Mullan, Idaho. They served other Northwest parishes in Ashton-Squirrel-St. Anthony; in Ashland, Ore.; in Wenatchee, Wash., and at Zion Lutheran Church here in Nampa. In four of these parishes the Lord led them to help the congregations to build new churches and here at Zion an addition was added to the church building. After 50 years of ministry, Pastor and Lydia retired to Wenatchee where they continued to serve congregations in an interim manner. In 1995, Paul and Lydia returned to Zion, where they continued to serve their Lord as active members.
God blessed this marriage of 64 years with five children, Connie Bloomer, Nampa; Ruth (Richard) O'Keefe, Lodi, CA; Sue (Jim) Ayers, Ellensburg, WA; James (Juanita) Wenatchee, WA; and Jon (Robin) Las Vegas, NV. Survivors also include 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife Lydia, and their five children and families. Other survivors include Pastor Riedel's brothers, Gerhardt, Joseph, Herbert and his sister, Dorothy Hartle, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Our family will always recall a love-filled husband, father and grandpa who never raised his voice or hand in anger; a busy Dad who took time to share his love of the outdoors and the "Mariner's" with all; and a gardening Dad who annually kept us all busy with the vegetable bounty that was grown. Memories of China stories, the violin, and the German pony song, family pinochle games and circle prayers are just a few.
But most of all we will remember the legacy of faith passed on by his words, his actions and his spirit. We are grateful to God for allowing us to have had so many precious years with him. To God Be The Glory!
A memorial has been established and gifts may be mailed to Zion Lutheran Church, 404 Nectarine St., Nampa, ID 83686.
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