Paul L. Horsfall Sr., 93, of Lansing, IA, died Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, Iowa.
Memorial services were held Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Lansing with Pastor James Buckhahn officiating.
Paul Leland Horsfall, Sr, was born Sept. 11, 1932, in Bloomington, the youngest of 11 children of Roy and Pearl (Ball) Horsfall.
He graduated from Bloomington High School, where he was the pitcher of the baseball team and also led his conference in basketball all four years. Following school, Paul worked as a farmhand.
At age 18, Paul underwent an emergency appendectomy, but then came down with a lovesickness for his beautiful nurse. He and Maxine Schwartz were married on Aug. 14, 1952, in Prairie du Chien.
In 1953, Paul was drafted into the US Army and sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. The Korean War ended just a few weeks into his basic training; he finished his two-year stint in Chicago as a MP. After returning home, Paul worked for C. R. Anthony’s in Prairie du Chien; they moved to Decorah, IA, in 1958, when he became the store manager there for 20 years. Paul also worked for the Mode O’Day clothing store, which later became Horsfall’s clothing store in Decorah.
In the 1980s, he started helping his son Jon at his variety store in Ossian, Iowa.
In 1959, Paul and Maxine bought a cabin in Lansing, and later a house on the marina, splitting their time between Lansing and Decorah. They had their marina house about 25 years, selling it after they started snowbirding in Florida.
During the 26 winters they spent in Florida, Paul honed his shuffleboard skills to the pro level. He liked going to garage sales and listening to Mollie B. He loved all sports and was a Green Bay Packers, NASCAR, Chicago Cubs, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Wisconsin Badgers fan. He liked golfing and was a member of Oneota Country Club in Decorah. He spent a lot of time fishing, boating, and teaching his grandkids how to fish. Going from one boat to the other, Paul also enjoyed going to Marquette and other casinos. Paul’s memory will live on through his organ and tissue donations.
Paul is survived by his wife of 74 years, Maxine, of Lansing; son Paul Horsfall, Jr of Waukon, Iowa; daughter-in-law Sandra Horsfall of Denver, Col.; grandchildren: Heather Horsfall, Tara (David) Lund, Jeremy Blakley, Sheila Kapell, Benjiman (Cassy) Horsfall, and Mallory (Ryan) Askelson; great-grandchildren: Ashley, Cael (Belle), and Brandon (Victoria) Gulrud, Joe Lund, Waylen Palmer, Dylan (Shelby) Kiehne-Bugenhagen, Riely (Curtis) and Ethan Horsfall, Trayten Larson, Dalten and Brystal Horsfall, Laney Einck, and Kade and Aubrie Askelson; three great-great-grandchildren: Grayson, Beckham, and Camden Gulrud; sister-in-law Emogene Synder; and brother-in-law Joseph L. Schwartz. He was preceded in death by his parents; son Jon Horsfall; daughter-in-law Dorothea Horsfall; and all his siblings: David, Ralph, Harold, James, Robert, and Calvin “Chester” Horsfall, Grace Martin, Marion Manion, Margaret Taft, and Lela Johnson Caygill. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
