Obituary for Merle Gene Speicher

Merle Gene Speicher, 80, of Union, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 15, 2010, surrounded by his four sons at the Cedar Valley Hospice in Waterloo. He was born on May 1, 1929 to William G. and Lillian E. (Hurdle) Speicher on the family farm near Liscomb. He attended Conrad High School. At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp where he honorably served his country from 1946-47 and 1950-51. He was a past commander of the Grundy Center Amvets. He was united in marriage to Anabel R. Clinite in 1948, which later ended in divorce. He farmed near Conrad and Union with his dad, worked as a logger and was a welder at Handy Manufacturing in Marshalltown for 20 years before retiring at age 62. In retirement he enjoyed gardening, wood working, spending time with his children and grandchildren and researching his family’s genealogy. He is survived by his sons, Craig (Kathy) of Conrad; Jeff (Janean) of Eldora; Mark of Orlando, FL; and Todd (Kathleen) of Union, daughter, Dana of Conrad; grandchildren, Amy (Randy) Nichols, William (Lisa) Speicher, great grandchildren, Joe Nichols, Margaret Nichols, Fiona Speicher and Liam Speicher; step granddaughters, Alison, Carrie, and Jessica. He is also survived by his ex-wife Anabel with whom he remained amicable; brother Rodney Speicher of Gladbrook; sisters Shirley Gould of Marshalltown and Donna Miller of Kansas City. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Howard James Speicher, and sister Doris Small. A private family memorial service will be held at a future date. Memorials may be made in Merle’s name to Cedar Valley Hospice. The family wants to thank the staff at Cedar Valley Hospice for their excellent service and support.