Paul W. Moen

Rock Island, Illinois
Dr. Paul W. Moen, 85, of Rock Island, Illinois, well-known Moline Physician and Surgeon, died Wednesday, February 4, 2009, in his residence.
Services are 11 a.m. Monday at Faith Lutheran Church, Moline, with The Reverend Dr. Mark Gehrke officiating. Entombment is in Moline Memorial Park Mausoleum. Visitation is 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Moline. Memorials may be made to Faith Lutheran Church, Trinity VNHA, or Children?s Therapy Center.
Paul William Moen was born November 5, 1923, in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, the son of Simen and Amelia (Bune) Moen. He attended the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University, received his MD degree in 1947 from the University of Wisconsin, and did his residency in Chicago. He married Janet Elder on July 8, 1945, in Madison, Wisconsin. During the Korean War, he served in the United States Air Force as flight surgeon at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio.
Paul and Janet came to Moline in 1958, and he was in private practice as a physician and surgeon until his retirement in 1986. In 1975, he pioneered the gastric bypass surgery in the Quad City area.
Dr. Moen was a proud member of Moline Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, and was a member of Faith Lutheran Church, Moline, Rock Island County Medical Society, Illinois Medical Society, American Bariatric Society, and University of Wisconsin Alumni Association. He loved music, sang in the church choir, and played clarinet in the University of Wisconsin Band and Marching Band.
Paul is survived by his wife of 63 years, Janet; three children and their spouses, Christopher and Leanna Moen of Moline, Timothy and Paulette Moen of Wheaton, Illinois, and Margaret and Lee Valenta of Edina, Minnesota; nine grandchildren and their spouses, Todd Moen, Britt and Brett Estwanik, Lars Moen, Lindsay and Chad Jones, Kelly Moen, Alex Moen, Thomas Valenta, Natalie Valenta, and Caroline Valenta; a great-grandson, Jackson Jones; and a sister, Ruth Thomson of Barrington, Illinois. He was preceded in death by a son, Thomas Moen, a sister, Eveline Nelson, and brothers, Ray and Eldon Moen.
Paul?s strong Norwegian heritage and his solid midwestern Wisconsin background of faith carried him through life. His surgical work and his family were the most important aspects in his life. He used to say, ?I was blessed with a wonderful life.?
Paul?s family invites friends and patients to share a story about him, sign his guestbook, or light a candle in his memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.