Merlyn L. Petersen, 89, of Reedsburg and formerly of the Elroy area passed away after a long illness Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at the Senior Life Center in Reedsburg.
The son of Nels and Maybelle (Collins) Petersen, he was born April 26, 1920, in the town of Glendale, Monroe County, where he grew to adulthood and graduated from the Kendall High School in 1937. Merlyn was united in marriage to Frieda Odell Zirk on April 15, 1944, at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, rural Elroy, where they were members until it closed in 1986.
Merlyn was born on the family’s farm and continued to farm it until they sold it in 1996 and moved to Reedsburg. He was also an electrician and welder for 30 years. He followed his father’s goal of being a steward of land preservation. His father did strip farming, and he followed with contouring and later set aside land for the federal Conservation Resource Program. He spent 30 years as a project leader in Happy Farmers 4-H Club. Merlyn loved to work with wood, doing wood carving and making small furniture. He and Frieda loved to travel, and, for more than 18 years, they spent the winter months in McAllen, Texas, where they square danced, played cards, met new friends and attended jam sessions.
Survivors include his wife, Frieda; one son, Neilan (Dar) of Kendall; two daughters, Karen (Dave) Edens of Babcock, Wis., and Dixie (Bob) Fusch of Reedsburg; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Darrell; three brothers, Arthur, infant George and Floyd; and one sister, Evelyn Fields.
Funeral services were at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, at the Picha Funeral Home in Elroy. Burial was in St. Luke’s Lutheran Cemetery, rural Elroy. For online information, go to www.pichafuneralhomes.com.
