William J. Thul
William J. “Willie” Thul, age 86, of Marshalltown, IA and formerly of Dubuque, passed away peacefully at 3:35 a.m., on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at the Iowa Veterans Home. To celebrate Willie’s life, private family services were held. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery. Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street is assisting the family.
Willie was born on September 25, 1938, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Alphonse K. and Barbara C. (Vaessen) Thul.
Willie served in Vietnam from October 11, 1961 until August 21, 1963. He was a trained sharp shooter and served during the Cuban Missile crisis and the Germany Berlin Crisis. He earned honors for both Sharp Shooter rifle M14 and Motor Vehicle Badge. He was united in marriage to Joyce Zahina on September 26, 1964, at Sacred Heart Church in Dubuque. They were blessed with 5 children and celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary before Joyce passed away on October 24, 2022. Willie worked as a heavy equipment operator for Fondell and Son Construction for several years. He was proud of his work and would often tell people how he could operate every piece of equipment they owned. He also was the crane operator that put the Dubuque Town Clock in its current location. In his free time Willie enjoyed farming and spending time in the great outdoors cutting and splitting wood. He also looked forward to deer hunting season with his son Steve and grandson Nathan. Willie liked to tinker around with cars and would help fix them whenever someone needed help. He was known to enjoy a nice cold one, and liked Old Style Beer so much that his CB handle was the “Old Style Kid”. Willie was one of a kind and he will be remembered as a hard working no nonsense man who lived life to the fullest.
Those left to cherish Willie’s memory include
his children,
Angie Thul,
Peggy (Tim) Sindt,
Michelle (Carlton) Sloan,
Steve (Tonya Jo) Thul
and Tonya Thul-Theis;
his grandchildren,
Ashley (Chris) Caccitore, Gina Thul, Nathan (Taylor) Thul, Devon (Chelsea Schack) Sindt, Mallory (Cole Wilson) Thul, Alyssa (Ian) Davis, Landon Theis and Olivia Thul;
his great-grandchildren,
Abi Tobey, Bri Tobey and Quinton Caccitore;
his siblings,
Darlene Wubben
and Ray (Pat) Thul;
and several nieces and nephews.
Willie was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joyce Thul; 2 siblings, Margaret (Daryl “Buddy”) Ernster and Leonard Thul; and a brother-in-law, Vern Wubben.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of the Iowa Veterans Home for the outstanding care they have provided for Willie these past years.
Cards and memorials in Willie’s memory may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn. William Thul Family.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com