Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Paul Malcolm Weinert 1930-

Paul Weinert grew up on a farm northeast of Falls City, and attended District 54 school, which was nicknamed "Pig Hill" because of the cattle and pig farms that lined it on three sides. "A kid had to be pretty tough to survive Pig Hill school," Paul said, with a laugh. He was active in his church Zion F.U.B, until its closure. Then he and his family joined the Bethel United Methodist Church, which was built on a portion of the Weinert's farmland. Paul graduated from Falls City High School in 1948, then Westmar College in 1952, and Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1955. He started his career as a pastor in Derby, Kansas, then assumed a teaching position at Verdon High School, where he served from 1956-59. During that time, he also "filled a pulpit from time to time."

From there, he and his wife, (the late) Donna Weinert (they married 22 Feb 1952 in Preston, NE.) moved to Warden, Kansas, where he pastored a church with more than 125 in attendance every Sunday. However, the family struggled to make ends meet on a pastor's salary, so they returned to Falls City when Paul was hired to teach history.

While he and Donna raised five children, Paul taught, and served on the board of directors for the Nebraska State Education Association. He also pastored churches on the weekends, first in Julian, then in Brownville and Nemaha. And, he farmed the homestead where he was raised, and, for 12 years, he served on the Falls City city council.;

"From 1982-84, I was the accidental mayor, too," he said. "I got the job when my predecessor resigned."

Several community leaders encouraged him to run for office when his term ended, but he finally had to say "no" to something.

"The evening meetings weren't fair to my family," he said.

Paul retired his teaching job in 1988, and his preaching position in 1995. He sold most of his cattle then, too, but he continued to farm,. He also substituted for preachers in the area, for any church that asked. On any given weekend, he was probably filling a pulpit somewhere. (He continues to do so to this day.) Longtime friend, Mildred Appleoff put it this way--"regarding protestant churches, Paul is Richardson's County's pastor."

"That's very flattering," Paul said.

He also married and buried people.

I've conducted weddings in churches, courtrooms, at Indian Cave, along the Missouri River and one time, even in my own home," he said. that's where his daughter, Sue was married.

"Regarding funerals, I've probably held services for more than 400 people," he said. Some were parishioners, some friends and some even former students. Many were strangers who were unchurched. Yet, Paul did his research well. His parting words made it sound like he had known the deceased person intimagely.

"I believe everyone has the right to a decent burial," he said. Always the storyteller, he shared an anecdote about one burial service. He pastored the ceremony in Auburn, then led the funeral procession from Auburn to the Harris Cemetery in Barada.

"The son-in-law of the deceased chewed me out because I had taken a rock road instead of the paved one from highway 67 to Barada," Paul said. "he was angry because he had a new Buick and didn't want rocks dinging it."

Then he laughed
"I tried to tell him that there wasn't a paved road from highway 67 to Barada."

That wasn't the worst part of the burial service, though.

"The grave digger had dug the grave in the wrong place," Paul said. Then he shook his head and smiles. "That wasn't my day."

Things like that happened more often than one would expect. "They weren't very fun at the time, but made for some lasting memories." Paul said. The toughest funeral in Paul"s memory was one that he hadn't conducted though. That service took place in 2005, when he buried his wife of 53 years, and his children and eight grandchildren said goodbye to their mother and grandmother.

"That one was the hardest," he said, "And the second toughest was the funeral I did for Bill Schock just a month or so ago."

Bill, the former owner and longtime editor of the Falls City Journal, was a close friend of Paul's. He had asked the pastor to conduct his service more than 25 years prior.

"We were good friends," Paul said, "And that  made his funeral veruy hard for me."

Talking about losing his wife and one jfo his best friends made the 88-year-kold pastor emotional, so his voice trailed off.

When he continued, he said "About a year after my first wife passed away, I called Mary Jane (Lampe), who had also been widowed, and said, 'I'm not looking for a wife, just someone to have dinner with, and maybe see a movie."

They just celebrated their 11th anniversary, on a two-week trip to jAlaska.

Now, they are home. And in two weeks, Pastor Paulj Weinert will get the recognition he deserves for the countless lives that he has touched.  As a teacher, volunteer, pastor, farmer, husband, father and friend, Paul has given everything he had and more.

He will join a list of grand marshals that includes his longtime friends, Bill Schock, and Mildred Appleoff. And just as he has earned, he will receive a place of distinction in Falls City's history.  (Source: Falls City Journal, Wednesday August 15, 2018)

Documents related to Paul Weinert:

Paul's parents, Harold Edwin Weinert
1901-1982 and Verena Luella Malcolm
1907-1969. They had 3 children Paul
M. Weinert, Virginia Ann Weinert b 1937
and James Lowell Weinert 1952-1952

This is the church John's family attended.

1880-1881 John Weinert's name
on the church rolls next to his sister
and his parents. 




Paul began attending Zion Church in 1943.




Zion Evangelical Church, date unknown
Mary Jane and Paul Weinert


Paul with August Weinert's rife.


LtR Mary Jane, Paul Weinert, Sandra Blunck





Add caption









1986 map of a portion of Jefferson
Township showing land owned by
Paul Weinert'.


1986 map of a portion of Jefferson
Township showing land owned by
Paul Weinert.



1986 map of a portion of Jefferson
Township showing land owned by
Paul Weinert's second wife Mary Jane.





This is the obit for Paul's stepmother:
Alice K. Sickel Weinert, 92, Falls City, died Thursday (4/23/09). Born northeast of Falls City to the late John L. & Mary Elizabeth (Noyes) Speers.
Survivors: sons, David Sickel, Falls City; Benjamin Sickel, Falls City; daughter, Judy Campbell, Lampe, Mo.; step-sons, Paul Weinert, Falls City; Charles Weinert, Florence, Ore.; step-daughters, Mary Jean Parriott, Chandler, Ariz.; Virginia Gesell, Rochester, N.Y.; brother, Sherman Speers, Wildwood, Ill.; sisters, Nellie Futscher, Norwalk, Calif.; Gertie Maze, Falls City; 10 grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; 25 great-trandchildren; 22 step-great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by two husbands, Austin Sickel and Harold Weinert.
Funeral Services 10:30 a.m. Monday (4/27/09) at the Bethel United Methodist Church, Falls City. Interment: Bethel-Zion Cemetery. Family will receive friends 7-8 p.m. Sunday (4/26/09) at the Dorr & Clark Funeral Home, Falls City. Dorr & Clark Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.