Paula M. (Smith) Zwack

            Paula Marie (Smith) Zwack, 82, of Dubuque, Iowa, passed away peacefully at home on August 18th, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.

            Friends and family may visit from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 22nd, 2023, at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday August 23rd, 2023, at the funeral home. Burial will be held at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque.

            Paula was born on October 12th, 1940, in Deadwood, South Dakota, daughter of David L. and Mary (Andresen) Smith. She married Joe Zwack, her high school sweetheart, on September 1st, 1962, at Church of the Nativity in Dubuque. They had three children: Laura, Joey, and Sharon. Paula was a very happy person, maybe because she was loved by so many people. She and Joe often remarked about the fact that they were so lucky to have such a wonderful family and friends. There was little she couldn’t do if she wanted to do it. She was truly a master of all trades. After graduating from the Visitation Academy in 1959 she embarked on a very active life.

            She was an artist, she was a realtor for decades, she owned and operated a sewing machine business for a decade, she was a farm gal for about a decade, and she was always the most wonderful homemaker. In her younger days she loved to swim, walk, dance, go on motorcycle trips, play cards, read, follow sports teams, do all sorts of fun and crazy stuff with her many friends --- and sew [when several of her works were (reluctantly for her) entered into international sewing competitions she won grand prizes]. Many friends and relatives will be able to cherish her sewing gifts for years to come. A few things she sewed: her daughters’ wedding dresses and all the bride’s maids dresses, her children’s clothing, doll clothing, curtains, drapes, leisure suits (remember them?), quilts, wall hangings, innumerable costumes for people of all ages and all occasions, gag sewing projects, prom dresses, first Communion dresses, etc. Her loving family meant everything to her at all times, and her children and grandchildren were her constant companions, whether they were with her at the moment or not.

            Paula is survived by her husband of 61 years, Joe, her children Laura Coleman, Joseph “Joey” Zwack and Sharon (Kent) Coleman, grandchildren Andrew (Kinzie), Emma, Elizabeth, Claire (fiancé Matt Kass), and Grace, siblings Rita (Bob) Murray, Charlotte (Jim) McCoy, Christine (Ray) Sweeney and Rachel Gerber, sisters-in-law Roberta “Bobbi” Smith, Kathleen (Bert) Peron, Margo (Tom) Kurtz and Ellen Zwack, as well as many nieces and nephews.

            She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers George and David Smith, stillborn grandchild Benjamin Coleman, stillborn great-grandchild Jackson Benjamin Coleman, mother-in-law Magretha Zwack, father-in-law Joseph A. Zwack, and brother-in-law Bill Gerber.

            The family gives a warm thank you to Hospice of Dubuque, especially Melissa, Cortini, and Angelia. In lieu of flowers, any donations may be given to charities of the donor’s choice in Paula’s name.

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