Paul D. Dwyer

Paul Dennis Dwyer passed away on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at Aviva at Fitzsimmons Rehab Center in Denver, Colorado. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at McLaren’s Chapel in West Des Moines with a time of sharing at 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Waukee with burial at Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Paul was born on April 14, 1947 in Clinton, Iowa to Dr. Robert E. Dwyer and Katherine Mary Hedrick Dwyer. He was raised in Clinton and then went to Campion in Wisconsin where he played football. Following high school he enlisted into the United States Marine Corp where he spent four years in the service and had earned the nickname “Bush” for being first to volunteer to stand watch. He was a well-respected sergeant in the 1st Marines, 5th Division where he and his fellow Marines earned two Presidential Unit Citations for their act of valor in combat. Many may recall an iconic photograph and numerous documentary video clips of Paul in combat during the Vietnam Tet Offensive that will play in American History for decades to come. After returning from his tour, his stepmother, Eve, met a charming and beautiful young nurse during a quick stay in the hospital whom was invited over for dinner and introduced to a young, tanned, “Omar Sharif” (Jeanne’s words) look-alike. On their first date, Paul told her he was going to marry her and that’s exactly what he did. On June 20, 1970 they were married and on June 27, 1972 they welcomed their first son Michael, on August 6, 1975 Robert was born and then Brian on July 26, 1978. During this time, Paul attended the University of Iowa and worked for many years at American Republic and AT&T in Information Technology in Des Moines but made it a point to spend time with his boys, either watching them swim or fishing in Canada as often as possible. In 2012, Paul and Jeanne fulfilled their life-long dream of living in Colorado and moved to the Mile High City.

Paul is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jeanne Dwyer; their three sons, Mike (Lorena), Rob (Danielle) and Brian (Megan); six grandchildren, Addison, Sean, Angelina, Tomas, Cole and Reece; five sisters, Mary Lou Welsh, Barbara Dwyer, Suzanne Bennett, Eva VanGeem and Dr. Roberta Dwyer; brother, Joe Dwyer; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; two siblings, Patrick Dwyer and Michelle Finn; and by his beloved mother-in-law, Veronica Scanlan.

Paul was loved by many with a warm and generous smile, he could talk to a fence post, had a laugh that we will never forget, and was a second father to many.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Vietnam Veterans of America and help a vet in need: https://vva.org/donate/. We would like to thank Aviva at Fitzsimmons for the care he received over the past two years.