Paul James Astel

Grace Astel, on June 14, 1931 in the quaint village of Mapleton, Illinois. His older sister Ruth

had been born five years earlier a half a mile away in the bedroom of the house of their

grandparents, James and Juliette Walker. James Walker, a successful coal miner, owned a

large farm on the edge of the village.

Paul spent his youth in Mapleton, attending the village school, and working small jobs such as

feeding coal in the winter to the furnace of the village physician, Dr. Thomas Egan, and working

as a farm hand with his Uncle Otto on his grandfather James’s farm. In his free time, he would

swim and fish in creeks and old gravel pits near the village.

Paul’s father Frank had spent six years in the United States Marine Corps serving in combat in

both Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914 and in Battle of Fort Rivière during the US occupation of Haiti

in 1915. After his service, Frank worked at Caterpillar Tractor Company painting road graders.

Sadly, Frank died from colon cancer on May 31, 1941. After his father’s death, Paul took over

as the head of the family. He took his duty seriously and cared for his mother and sister until

their passings decades later.

To receive a better education, Paul attended Manual High School in the nearby larger town of

Peoria. His aunt or sister would drive him back and forth to Peoria each day. After high school,

Paul worked his way through college. To afford the tuition at Bradley University, Paul worked at

Caterpillar in East Peoria, buildings LL and JJ where he sharpened tools and handed out drill

bits to mechanics. While attending Bradley, Paul become friends with Max Smith. This lifelong

friendship would span move than 70 years.

Paul graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1955 and took a job with the Gulf Oil Corporation in

Chicago, Illinois. After two years, he missed his family and moved back to Peoria. In 1959, he

accepted a position as the Purchasing Agent for the City of Peoria. He would hold his position

for the next 32 years until his retirement.

On July 18, 1964, Paul married Anna “Ann” Jeanine Wilham in the village of Pekin. Ann was the

love of his life. Together, they raised two children, Geneva “Jennie” and Matthew. During the

first few years of marriage, Paul fulfilled his lifelong dream of building his own house. This

family of four with their pet dachshund Beebee moved into the house that Paul built in 1968.

Over the next twelve years, Ann would plan summer vacations. All four would hop into the

Chevrolet, and Paul would drive them all over the continental US, Canada, and Mexico. For

their tenth wedding anniversary, the family flew to Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The yearly

holidays continued until Ann became ill in 1979.

Like his father, Paul’s wife Anna succumbed to colon cancer on July 18, 1982, their eighteenth

wedding anniversary. Paul never stopped missing her and always longed to be with her again

in heaven.

The house that Paul built is located in north Peoria in the subdivision of Ravinwoods. It would

be Paul’s home for 54 years. As an avid carpenter, Paul built a large woodworking shop in his

basement and worked on many projects over the years such as building furniture for his kids.

He also spent thousands of hours maintaining and improving his garden and lawn. These

hobbies kept his mind and body active.

The Astel family started attending Grace Presbyterian Church in 1975, and Paul continued his

relationship with the church until his passing. For many years, Paul worked as part of the

Monday Morning Crew, a group of men who would maintain and repair the church and other

properties owned by the church. The crew remained his close friends his whole life.

Paul’s mother Grace Della Walker passed away after a long illness on May 11, 1977 at the age

of 80. When Paul’s sister Ruth started suffering from dementia around 2012, he devoted his

time to taking care of her over the next four years. It was difficult for him when his only sister

passed away at the age of 90 on December 23, 2016.

Paul was always an avid walker, and at the age of 87, he could still walk three miles a day. By

the age of 90, time had taken its toll. He could no longer walk long distances. In 2022, he sold

his house and moved into the independent living unit of Lutheran Hillside Village. He remained

active volunteering at the local food bank, attending exercise classes and Bible studies, and

competing in the golf putting tournament. He made many new friends with the wonderful

residents and staff of Lutheran Hillside.

In June 2024, a fall in his bathroom brought an end to his independence. He could no longer

drive his car or walk without assistance. He spend one month in the hospital and almost five

months in Lutheran Hillside’s skilled nursing facility. This was taxing on a 93 year old, and his

body and mind never recovered. After a brief two-day hospitalization, Paul passed away at

Methodist Hospital on May 8, 2025.

Paul was a lifelong believer in the power of giving, some years donating more than half his

income to charitable causes such as Grace Presbyterian Church, South Side Mission of Peoria,

Doctors without Borders, and Habitat For Humanity. His final gesture was a sizable donation to

Lutheran Hillside Village for them to continue their mission of empowering older adults to live

life to the fullest.

Paul is survived by his daughter Geneva Lindner and her husband Daniel Lindner of Clifton,

Virginia, and his son Matthew Astel and his wife Chi Chie Yap of Bellevue, Washington. Paul is

missed by his family and his many friends in Grace Presbyterian Church, Lutheran Hillside

Village, and Ravinwoods subdivision.

The celebration of life for Paul will be on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM at Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel in Peoria, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lutheran Hillside Village (Lutheran Senior Services Tax ID: 43-0654862). Words of comfort can be shared with the family at www.Davison-Fulton.com