A pickup, a dog and “The Family Guy” were among the stories that brought laughter and tears at the funeral of Cpl. Jason G. Pautsch.

About 600 people gathered for Pautsch’s funeral Tuesday morning at Moline’s Calvary Church of the Quad-Cities, where American flags ringed the building. Pautsch, 20, was killed in a suicide bomb attack April 10 in Mosul, Iraq.

His family, including his father, David, three brothers, Jared, Jacob and Josef, and sister Jenna fondly remembered Jason, telling funny stories and shedding tears.

Jenna, 15, called her brother “really awesome.” Tearfully, she concluded, “One of us is missing. A part of a whole.”

The Rev. Tim Bowman recognized the family’s grief.

“I shed a few tears this week for Teri and David, Jared, Jacob, Jenna and Josef,” he said. “I haven’t cried one tear for Jason, because he’s all right. He’s more alive than we are today. The tears are for us, not for him.”

Jared, who is also in the Army and stood as guardian beside the casket during the service, recalled being assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., at the same time as his brother. They snuck out of the barracks after lights out to watch “The Family Guy” episodes on Jason’s laptop computer. Josef read an essay he wrote for school a few months ago that described his brother as athletic, a good soldier and brother.

“I got a good grade on it,” Josef said, drawing laughs.

Jacob, 18, recalled watching his brother clean out his pickup as he prepared to deploy. Jason handed him the keys and said, “Take good care of it.”

“I’ve got about a coat of wax on that each week, and I’m not kidding,” he said.

While stationed at Fort Carson, in Colorado, Pautsch befriended Sgt. Jason Wilcox, who called him an ideal soldier. On one occasion, Pautsch helped Wilcox find his family’s golden labrador retriever that had run off.

“The dog came right up to Jason,” Wilcox said. “It saved me from a divorce.

“It was an honor to serve with your son. I’ll never forget him.”

Spc. Josh Engel offered a serious remembrance of his lifelong friend, of playing soldier and the words of encouragement he would often get from his friend.

“I always knew he would be a good soldier,” Engel said. “Being a soldier was in his blood. It was what he was destined to do.”

Pautsch’s father offered a bittersweet eulogy of his son. He recalled his rebelliousness and a bike accident that led to his relationship with God. That relationship led him to get a part-time job and cut his hair. He wrestled and played football at Davenport North High School. David recalled Jason’s mother, Teri Johnson, being amazed by the transformation, asking, “How did you become Mr. All-America?”

Jason’s relationship with God gave his father proud memories of his son and the strength to deal with his loss.

“Jason wasn’t perfect, but Jason had a God who died for him and loves him,” he said. “He is doing great. We are the ones having a tough time with this.” 

The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band performed three songs at the funeral. David Pautsch was a member of the band when he served in the Army.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Iowa Gov. Chet Culver offered their condolences from their respective states.

After the service, a police escort led a procession from the church, across the Interstate 74 bridge, onto River Drive in Davenport and then onto Arsenal Island, where hundreds of Arsenal employees lined the streets awaiting its arrival. 

The procession wound its way into the National Cemetery, Pautsch’s final resting place.

Amazing Grace and taps filled the windy silence, a 21-gun salute pierced it. Family members and friends embraced as they walked away. 

 

Ann McGlynn contributed to this report.