Paul Melsha
Paul Melsha, 89, of Harpers Ferry, passed away peacefully at home January 15, 2026, with his family at his side. Services were held Saturday, January 24 at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories, Cedar Rapids. A Celebration of Life was held Sunday, January 25 at the Old Rossville Store. A private ceremony for his family will be held at a later date.
Memorials may be directed to the Harpers Ferry Fire Department, Harpers Ferry Library, or Eastern Iowa Honor Flight. Online condolences may be left for the family at cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.
Paul was born October 7, 1936, in Cedar Rapids. He was the son of Louis and Pearl (Harper) Melsha. He married Gloria Rasmussen and together they built a life that spanned 58 years. Paul is survived by his wife, Gloria; his children: Julie (Doug) Berry of Marion, Penny (Dan) Nunemaker of Cedar Rapids, Lisa (Mike) Wiggins of LeRoy, IL, Brian (Connie) Melsha of Swisher, and Scott (Kim) Melsha of Palo; his daughter in-law, Angie Melsha of Cedar Rapids; 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Edward Melsha; his sister, Cora Ann Giza; his brother, Richard Melsha; his son, Kevin Melsha; and his grandson, Adam Berry.
Paul was a 1954 graduate of Wilson High School. He was a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1955-1957. After the Army, Paul owned and operated his gas station in Cedar Rapids, “Paul’s Skelly”, worked several years for Modern Piping as a shop mechanic before joining the Plumber and Pipefitters Local 125 (50-year UA member), retiring at Modern Piping after 26 years of dedicated service.
In his free time, Paul was an outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish, especially the trout streams of northeast Iowa and the Mighty Mississippi for bluegill and “one eyed catfish” (until you seen the second eye on the other side of the boat). He also enjoyed gardening, often giving more of his harvest to friends and family than keeping for himself.
Paul had a passion for carpentry, helping many friends from Lorraine Street and Hartman’s Riverside Court with remodels, and for woodworking, crafting beautiful pieces of furniture that he shared with family, friends and donations to many deserving causes (though Mom still says he hasn’t made anything for her yet). Most of all, Paul loved his family and cherished the time spent with them and many friends he made along the way.
The family would like to sincerely thank the caregivers at Crossing Rivers and the St. Croix Hospice for their assistance in fulfilling Paul’s wish to remain in the home he and Gloria built.
Online condolences may be left for the family at cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.
