The time has come to tip our hats and bid adieu to Paul Dale Eckhart, our dearest father, beloved husband, and fearless friend. He departed the Earth Monday, January 27 and joined the ranks among the Heavens that he so loved, as the planets aligned to welcome him home and into the arms of the Lord.
Paul was born August 1, 1948, on a Sunday, in Marshalltown Iowa. The first of five children of Dale William Eckhart and Wilma Jean (Townsend) Eckhart, he grew up on the family farm near State Center, Iowa and graduated from West Marshall High School in 1966. He was interested in theater and playing the trombone in band. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1970 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and is an Alumnus of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He enjoyed bantering with his siblings while watching Iowa State games. Go Cyclones!
Paul's mind was set on more grandeur experiences than Iowa had to offer after graduation. He enlisted in the United States Air Force, flying jets as a navigator on F4 Phantoms. He traveled all over the world while in the military; serving in Taiwan, Spain, Turkey, and Germany. While stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida, he met his beloved wife Barbara and swept her off her feet. They were married on May 6, 1978 and had their first set of twins a year later. As a young family they resided in southwest Germany, near Spangdahlem Air Base for a few years, before fathering another set of twins and returning to Florida. Paul moved his family to Las Vegas NV in 1986, after being stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. While there, he worked as a weapons specialist and advanced to the rank of Major. His favorite position was as a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) on the F-4 Phantom II. Paul retired from the military in 1990. Being in his early forties, with young children to raise and put through college, he embarked on a new career as an insurance investigator and an underwriter trainer for the state of Nevada. Paul retired from the workforce altogether in 2007.
In post-retirement Paul had more time to pursue his love of the outdoors and hiking. A skilled navigator, he frequently went into the desert hunting for treasure troves of geocache, in his time he discovered over 43k caches! Known as “Phantom WSO”, he signed countless logbooks. His reputation will live on with those who pursue the same passion, when they come across a logbook with his legendary signature.
While Paul had many impressive accomplishments in his 76 years, what mattered to him most was God and family. Spending time in their congregation and with his grandchildren filled him with love, joy and laughter. Those are the sights and sounds that will echo into eternity with those he held most dear.
He is survived by his beloved wife Barbara (Day) Eckhart of Las Vegas and their four children Joseph Eckhart of Las Vegas; Christina Martin (Josh), Elizabeth Hemsley (Peter), and Kathleen Munn (Evan) and his five grandchildren Jacob Hemsley, Alison Martin, Jessalyn Hemsley, Jeremiah Hemsley, and Evangeline Munn, all of Reno, NV. His sisters Jean Cruikshank (Dwight) of Waukesha, WI; Teresa Eckhart (Michael Gibson) of Dubuque IA; Karen Viola (Joe) of St. Louis MO; his brother Alan Eckhart (Karri) of State Center IA.
A visitation for Paul will be held Friday, March 7, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Palm Mortuary - South Jones, 1600 South Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146. A funeral service will occur Saturday, March 8, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at External Service Location, 8425 W Windmill Ln, Las Vegas, NV 89113. A committal service will occur Monday, March 10, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 12:40 PM at External Service Location, 1900 Veterans Memorial Dr, Boulder City NV 89005.
