Nicholas "Nick" Lehman Paape

OMAHA, NE

Nicholas L. (Nick) Paape, 33, formerly of Mason City, passed into the loving arms of God on Sunday November 1, 2015 at his home in Omaha, Nebraska.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, November 6, 2015 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home located at 121 NW 60th Ave., Des Moines, IA

A memorial service and Celebration of Nick’s Life will be held at 2 pm Saturday, November 7 at Westminster Presbyterian Church located at 4114 Allison Ave. in Des Moines. The Rev. Ken Arentson & Pastor Kevin Jones of Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City, will be officiating. There will be a graveside service at the Nevada, Iowa Municipal Cemetery.

Online condolences can be left for the family at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider a memorial to the Nicholas Paape Memorial fund.

Nicholas was born on August 8, 1982 in Smithville, Missouri to Jim and Janie Paape. He was baptized at St. James Lutheran Church in Mason City and graduated from Mason City High School in 2001. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Geographical Information Systems at the University of Iowa in 2005. After graduation, he moved to Omaha, NE where he worked as Senior Project Engineer in the corporate offices of Union Pacific Railroad until his untimely death.

On October 1, 2011, Nick married the love of his life, Sara Bachman, of Ankeny, Iowa at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines. Their family grew when they adopted their beloved dog, Goose, in 2013.

Nick loved his Iowa Hawkeyes, the Kansas City Royals, walleye fishing, the Dave Matthews Band, taco pizza, meteorology and the challenge of solving and fixing any type of technical problem for family and friends. It earned him the good natured title of “MacGyver”, after his favorite TV show. One of his great joys was making detailed lake maps for every fishing trip.

But most of all he loved his family and was the ultimate loyal and loving husband. He will be remembered as a kind and caring person with a big heart who took extreme pride in both his work and personal accomplishments.

He was the consummate perfectionist and was admired and respected by his Union Pacific associates for his work ethic and God-given ability to solve complicated problems. He was indeed a rising star who never backed down from a challenge.

Nick was also known for his honesty and integrity. He treated everyone with respect and had the gift of being able to look past the imperfections of others and focus instead on their positive traits. That kind of thoughtfulness was proven time and again as he put others ahead of his own interests.

He is survived by his wife, Sara; parents, Jim and Janie Paape, Mason City; sister, Mara (Tim) Kaplan, Cottage Grove, MN; brother, Tyson (Sarah) Paape, Minneapolis, MN; niece and nephews, Peyton, Max, Cade and Boden Kaplan; mother-in-law, Julia Bash, Ankeny; father-in-law John Bachman, Ankeny; brother-in-law Christopher Bash, Ankeny; uncle, Jim (Diane) Lehman, Peru, IN and aunt Julie Farren, Colo, IA; and cousins and friends. Nick was preceded in death by grandparents, Walter and Lillian Paape, Ralph and Betty Lehman and his uncle Mark Farren.

His personality and infectious laugh will be sadly missed by his family, his dog Goose, and everyone else who knew him.

Print