Paul Bettin, age 90 of Wall Lake, IA, passed away on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Loring Hospital in Sac City, IA, with his family at his side. Paul was born on October 14, 1932, to parents Fred and Christina (Schwanz) Bettin, the seventh of nine children, on their farm northwest of Lake View. Paul attended country school, middle school, and high school in Lake View. He was baptized and confirmed at the Early Presbyterian Church in Early, IA. Paul joined the United States Army in March of 1953 and was honorably discharged in December of 1954. He then did carpentry work, mostly roofing, in Sioux City, Marshalltown, and Davenport, IA, as well as in Chicago, IL, before returning home to farm in 1959.
On December 18, 1960, Paul married Maxine Sigwalt at the Presbyterian Church in Wall Lake. They were blessed with three children, Michael Paul, Patrick Charles, and Michele Marie. They raised their family on a farm near Odebolt, IA, where they owned and operated Bettin Feedlot. Paul traveled to Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas to buy his cattle, sometimes feeding 4,000 head at a time. Mike and Pat learned to feed cattle, repair machinery, and do field work from their dad at an early age. Paul retired in 1999 and turned it all over to the boys. He soon decided retirement wasn’t for him so he purchased land in southern Iowa (Decatur County) where he enjoyed clearing some rough land and starting a cow/calf herd. He loved to see the new calves every spring. In 2007 Paul retired, again. He always enjoyed coffee time with all of his buddies in Wall Lake.
Paul loved to fish, especially in South Dakota. If he wasn’t fishing he was talking about it. He and Maxine traveled to all fifty states as well as to Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. He was a ten-year cancer survivor who looked forward to his daily calls to his boys.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife Maxine Bettin of Wall Lake, IA; sons Mike (Deb) Bettin of Odebolt, IA, and Pat (Angie) Bettin of Leon, IA; grandchildren: Tara (Jon) Reaman of Odebolt, IA, Lauren (Clayton) Riedell of Cherokee, IA, Tyler (Nicole) Bettin of Odebolt, IA, Preston Bettin of Elgin, IL, Scott (Jessica) Bettin of Holstein, IA, and Haley Bettin of Leon, IA; great-grandchildren: Christian, Caroline, and Kennedy Reaman of Odebolt, IA, Eli, Scarlett, and Finn Riedell of Cherokee, IA, Erin Bettin of Holstein, IA, and Emmett Bettin of Odebolt, IA; sisters-in-law Evelyn Bettin of Leon, IA, and Joyce Bettin of Lake View, IA; many nieces, nephews, other extended family members and friends.
Paul was preceded in death by his daughter, Michele Bettin; great-granddaughter Camille Bettin; parents Fred and Christina Bettin; parents-in-law Charles and Lillian Sigwalt; step mother-in-law Mabel Sigwalt; brothers: Leland Bettin, Kenneth (Gloria) Bettin, Vern (Ardine) Bettin, Ronald Bettin, and Richard Bettin; sisters: Dorothy (Marvin) Stehr, Donna (Doyle) Chastain, and Roy (Jimmie Nell) Bettin; nephews Frank Bettin, Kenneth Bettin, and Douglas Stehr; nieces Diane Luft, Stephanie Bettin, and Debbie Bettin.
