Paul Lee Fear, 71, of Hartsville, passed away at 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, July 23, 2013, at Methodist Hospital.

Born December 30, 1941, in Decatur County, he was the son of Barrett W. and Leila M. Ammerman Fear. He married Betty A. Grover May 28, 1965, in Groton, MA. He then married Evelyn Downey Dunn October 23, 1987, at Bear Creek Baptist Church in Jennings County, and she survives.

Paul graduated from Columbus High School in 1959. He attended Purdue University for agricultural studies for a year before enlisting in the Army, serving from February 1963 to February 1966. He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before being stationed at Fort Devens in Ayers, MA. While in the Army, he received an acheivement certificate for developing a computer program that saved the Army a lot of money.

He returned to Indiana in the fall of 1967 to become a full-time farmer. During his agricultural career, he also worked for Thompson Farms, his father, Kova and Wilson Pioneer Seeds. Paul was an active member of Bear Creek Baptist Church, where he had served as trustee and assistant superintendent, and previously served on the Decatur County Tractor Pull Association. He loved farming and was a John Deere tractor collector.

The funeral will be Friday at noon at Bear Creek Baptist Church with Pastors Wes Jones and Della Hamilton officiating. Visitation will be today from 4 to 8:30 p.m. at Norman Funeral Home in Hope and on Friday from 11 a.m . until service time at the church. Burial will be at Bear Creek Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be donated to Norman Funeral Home to help the family with Paul's funeral expenses, or to Bear Creek Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife; children, Donna (Shawn) Bentz of Waldron, David Fear and Pamela (Scott) Barkes of Columbus, Cheryl (Charles) Mead and Mark (Jessica) Fear of Columbus, Victoria (Chris) Campfield and Erin Dunn of Hartsville and Erica (Greg) Moore of North Vernon; grandchildren, Jackson Bentz of Waldron, Michael Taylor, Patrick Barkes and Laura Barkes of Columbus, Samson Mead, Shilo Mead, Kendyll Robins, Christopher Fear, Jacob Fear and Kristina Fear, all of Elizabethtown, Quinton Houshour, Derrex Whittis, Elizabeth Campfield and Johnathon Campfield, all of Hartsville, Jasmine Moore and Christian Moore of North Vernon; and a brother, Ned E. Fear of Hartsville.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents and an infant sister, Mary Ann Fear.