William Prendergast

William Paul Prendergast, 85, of Newton, died Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, at his home. A memorial mass will be at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 8 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory, with a vigil service at 7 p.m. Memorials to Skiff Hospice may be left at the funeral home or at the church the day of the service.

Paul, the son of William and Elizabeth “Bess” (McGowan) Prendergast, was born Aug. 7, 1929, in Fonda. He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Paul was united in marriage with Marie Ellen Kunze on Feb. 11, 1954. They were blessed with six children, JoAnne, Richard, Clayton, Paula, Shawn and Pat. Paul worked at the Maytag Company for 31 years, retiring in 1979. He also owned and operated the Miller Hotel in Newton. Following Marie’s death in 1972, Paul was married to Sandra Garrett on July 2, 1979, in Knoxville. They had one son, Curran. Paul was a lifetime member of the VFW and an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. Paul was proud of his Irish heritage and enjoyed Irish music. He was also a jack of all trades and liked to build things. Paul enjoyed many adventurous activities including skydiving and camping. Above all, he was a family man and was a dedicated husband, dad, grandpa, great-grandpa, brother, uncle and friend.

Those left to honor Paul’s memory are his wife, Sandra of Newton; children, JoAnne (Doug) Price of Newton, Richard (Emily) Prendergast of St. Joseph, Mo., Paula Zickmund of Newton, Shawn Prendergast of Newton, Pat (Rhonda) Prendergast of Newton, and Curran (Jocelyn) Prendergast of Kirksville, Mo.; 14 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and one more on the way; his brother, David (Lillian) Prendergast of Newton; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Marie Ellen Prendergast in 1972; son, Clayton in 1971; brother, James, in infancy; and two sisters, Kathryn and Helen.