Earl Vincent Lampe

Earl Vincent Lampe, 85, of Dubuque, Iowa passed away on December 24, 2019 at home surrounded by his family the day after his 85th birthday.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 30th, 2019 at St. Columbkille Catholic Church with Rev. Thomas McDermott officiating. Entombment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery with full military honors accorded by American Legion Post #6. Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 29th, 2019 at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road where a wake service will be at 5:30 p.m.

Earl was born on December 23, 1934, in Saint Donatus, the son of Leroy and Theresa (Herrig) Lampe. He attended school in Bellevue and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1952. He served in the United States Army, from 1957 until 1959 as a supply clerk at Fort Knox and Fort Dix. He returned home to Dubuque and married Juan Speltz on November 7, 1959 at Saint Columbkille Catholic Church, they shared 60 years together.

He worked for Dubuque John Deere for 36 years and was a member of the UAW Local #94.

He had a great passion for baseball and signed a professional contract with the former Saint Louis Browns now the Baltimore Orioles. Earl was well known in the Dubuque area as a respected umpire for both baseball and softball. He was a Chicago White Sox fan and a fan of all Iowa Hawkeye sports. Earl was also an avid bowler and served as secretary of his league. 

He took great pride in his family and enjoyed gardening to provide them with the best produce. He also enjoyed playing cards with his friends especially poker and euchre and rarely missed cooking a great family breakfast on Sundays.

He is survived by his wife Juan; four children Kimberly DeSanti, of Dubuque, Todd (Lisa) Lampe, of Davenport, Andrea (Rick) Jochum, of Dubuque, and Nicole (Ed) Freed, of Dubuque; fifteen grandchildren Ryan, Kayla, Kelsey, Riley, Russell, Julia, Ellie, Kara, Anna, Adeline, Samuel, Lily, Benjamin, Maria, and Caroline, a brother Nester Lampe and a sister-in-law Dorothy Lampe, along with many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Monica, Robert, Johanna, Roman Sr. and Maurice.

In lieu of flowers an Earl Lampe memorial fund has been established.

The family would like to thank the physicians and nurses who cared for Earl over the years, especially Dr. Hillard Salas, Dr. John Whalen, Dr. Keith Shaw, Dr. Randall Lengeling and their staff. Also to the staff of Luther Manor and Hospice of Dubuque for all their wonderful care. 

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.