Paul A. Rossiter 1912-2008

ANDERSON, ROSSITER, WHITE, BECHTEL, KAPP, ROCHELLE, DAHLIN

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 3/27/2008 at 08:39:28

Paul A. Rossiter

Paul A. Rossiter, 95, a resident of Bethany Home Nursing Care Facility, died at 2:55 a.m., Wednesday, February 13, 2008.

A celebration of life memorial service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dubuque, today at 11 a.m.

Mr. Rossiter was born on Sept. 18, 1912, in Minneapolis, Minn., to Bert and Emma (Anderson) Rossiter. He was the oldest of four children.

He graduated from Central High School in St. Paul in 1930 and attended the University of Minnesota, where, in 1935, he completed his bachelors degree in architectural engineering.

During his late teens, he, along with two dozen other active older Boy Scouts, was invited to join a hiking club organized by R.J. Hagman, a coporation lawyer with the Great Northern Railway and a former scoutmaster. Mr. Hagman purchased acreage on the Mississippi River, south of South St. Paul. This troop conceived a log cabin that was designed by Paul and constructed by the entire troop. Throughout his life, Paul had been a strong supporter of The Pine Bend Scout Club and was a lifetime member.

He married Frances (White) Rossiter of Mason City, Iowa, on Feb. 5, 1939. Paul took a job as building commissioner in Dubuque and moved his family there on June 1, 1940. In 1942, he applied for a commission in the Navy as a Lieutenant J.G. in the Civil Engineering Corps. He served four years in the Navy and returned to Dubuque in 1946. During his time in the Navy, two children were born to him.

In 1950, he started his own architectural firm, Rossiter and Hamm, Architects and Engineers. He continued to work for the firm, although it changed names a few times, until his retirement in December of 2005, at the age of 93. At his retirement, he held the position of "oldest living and working architectural engineer in the State of Iowa."

In 1954, Paul's wife, Frances, gave birth to their third child. Frances died in 1960 of breast cancer.

In Aug. of 1961, he married Dorothy Bechtel. The new couple's interests included the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, the Dubuque Museum of Art and many other civic associations throughout town. He loved to cook gourmet meals, and each New Year's Day for several years, the couple would host a wild boar dinner at their home near the University of Dubuque campus.

During their retirement, the couple traveled the country by RV, taking in the sights, cultures and cuisine of each area.

Paul's interests included music, traveling and camping by motor home, cooking, sailing, canoeing, hiking in the mountains, photography, water colors, raising herbs and vegetables and woodworking.

He was a member of the Lions Club, Rotary, Dubuque Civic Music Association, Dubuque Museum of Art, Navy League, the Dubuque Arboretum and a Paul Harris Fellow.

He is survived by his son, Michael E. Rossiter, of Chicago; two daughters, Renee (Rossiter) Kapp, of Ore.; Rochelle (Rossiter) Rochelle, of Hazel Green, Wis.; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wives, Frances (White) Rossiter and Dorothy (Bechtel) Rossiter; a brother, Don Rossiter, and a sister, Joyce (Rossiter) Dahlin.

Paul's family would like to thank the administration and staff of Bethany Home Nursing Care and Hospice of Dubuque for their wonderful care and concern during the last few days of his life.

Copyright (c) Woodward Communications, Inc. 2008, All Rights Reserved. Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Friday, February 15, 2008