Paul Henry DeYoung

Paul Henry DeYoung, age 75 of Lake Village, Indiana passed away unexpectedly on November
27, 2024. Paul was steady, quiet and like most Dutchmen, stubborn. Which makes it all the
more surprising to those that he loved that he is absent from this world. He has always been
there to help his children fix the shingles on a roof, to remove a pesky groundhog for his
neighbors, to drop off some tomatoes and sweet corn to friends, or to show his grandchildren
how to drive a tractor. Paul was there.
He was born in Rensselaer, Indiana to Cecil and Alice (née Klemp) DeYoung on September 6,
1949 and grew up in DeMotte. He graduated from DeMotte High School in 1967. After high school he worked as a carpenter for Dick Peterson and Gene DeYoung working in brick and block and building houses. After working as a carpenter, Paul started farming full time.
He married Teresa (née Williams) on March 8, 1969 in DeMotte. Rumor has it there is a photo of the two on an 650 Triumph motorcycle, Paul once tore through town on. But, he crashed it and swore never to ride a motorcycle again. Paul and Teresa bought a house and farm outside of Lake Village where they lived and bickered incessantly with love and care for over 56 years.
They raised four boys, Paul (Mandy) DeYoung, of Fort Myers Florida, Randy (Stephanie)
DeYoung of Middletown, Indiana, Ron (Julie) DeYoung of Morocco, Indiana, and Josh (Sara)
DeYoung of Lake Village, Indiana. He was blessed with five grandchildren, Nathan, Breanna (Brandon), Otto, Evelyn, and Emmett, and one great-grandson, Gabriel.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Calvin DeYoung. He is survived by his
sister Lorretta Hamstra, wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchild.
His grandchildren were the joy of his life. He loved to take them fishing and trapping, and on
tractor rides, ranger rides and wagon rides. Paul enjoyed gardening, always planting more than
he and Teresa, his children, grandchildren and the neighbors could pick or eat. He was
especially particular and proud of his sweet corn. The family would squabble about when the
corn had kernels big enough to eat or if it was too tough. He guarded his sweet corn patch
fiercely from any raccoon or other creature that might try to sneak an ear. His fuel and his vice
was warm Mt. Dew. Paul also never met a shovel handle or a five gallon bucket he could refuse.
An avid trapper and hunter, he was a member of the Indiana and National Trapper Associations.
He enjoyed trapping, hunting and skinning all sorts of critters and sharing his wisdom with his
children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends. Up until the day he died he did what he loved,
which was farming and spending time with his family. He was a man of few words and kept a
close council but if you were in his tight knit group, you were never cold. Paul's generosity and
kindness kept you warm.
Cremation rites are being provided by Jackson Funeral Service of DeMotte. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date and will be posted on Jackson Funeral Services' website.