Kenneth "Babe" Paa Sr., age 80 of New Ulm died unexpectedly on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at the New Ulm Medical Center.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 am on Friday, September, 23, 2022 at Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm. Private family burial will follow in New Ulm Catholic Cemetery.

**Note: Mass has changed locations to Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on Friday.

Visitation will be 4-7 pm on Thursday, September 22, 2022 and 10-11 am on Friday, September 23, 2022 at Minnesota Valley Funeral Home – NORTH chapel in New Ulm.

To leave an online condolence for his family or to sign the guest book, go to: www.mvfh.org

Babe is survived by his wife of 47 years, Deanna Paa; son, Kenneth Paa Jr.; sisters, Evelyn "Patsy" Fahey and Kathy Adams; brothers, Carl "Bunky" (Elaine) Paa, Harry (Karen) Paa; brothers-in-law, Dennis Anderson and Ronald (Bette) Schmitz; sister-in-law, Marlys (Roger) Huss; numerous nieces, nephews, many other relatives and friends.

Babe was preceded in death by his parents; stepfather, Gordon Schroeck; sisters, Dorothy (Harvey) Schultz and Janet "Sis" Anderson; brothers, John (Lavonne) Paa and Charles "Butch" Paa; mother and father-in-law, Edward and Louise Schmitz; sister-in-law, Janet Steffl; brother-in-law, James Fahey.

Kenneth Roger Paa Sr. was born November 28, 1941 in New Ulm to Charles and Nida (Clyne) Paa. He attended New Ulm Public schools. Babe married Bonnie Scharf and the two were blessed with one son, Kenneth Jr. They later divorced. Over Babe's career, he worked for Gopher Concrete, AMPI, and finally Heymenn Construction for 30+ years, until retirement. Babe met Deanna Schmitz at the bowling alley and three years later, the two eloped to marry in Sioux Falls, SD. Babe and Deanna truly were a team and you rarely saw them apart. Together, they enjoyed each other's company, having fun, trips to Mystic Lake Casino for a little breakfast and some gambling. Many times, Babe would get in the car and say to Deanna, "Lets see where we end up today". He loved his family very much and always looked forward to his summer visits from his son Kenny, when he would visit from Colorado. Babe was always busy. He was a man of all trades and there wasn't much he couldn't do or a task he wouldn't tackle. He was always completing Deanna's to-do list, maintaining the yard, or working on his boat. He enjoyed redoing, fixing, or refurbishing things in need of repair, even an old rusty scooter. Babe appreciated pheasant hunting, fishing, bowling, golfing, watching Vikings and Gopher football with family and friends, having beers with the guys and critiquing the games they were watching, and he sure loved his beer. He excelled at bowling for many years. He bowled a 300 game with a 786 series on the same team with his brother, Carl, who also bowled a 722 that same series. Babe was inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame in 2003. One of Babe's greatest passions, was golf. You could often find him on the practice range trying to improve his game or on the course testing if it worked. He loved to compete and proved it recently when he shot a 75 in the Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Their team tied for first place and when he went home, he was on cloud nine. Whether it was fixing things, activities with friends, sports, or spending time with his family, wherever Babe was, there was always fun. Babe was one of a kind and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Blessed be his memory.