Memorial
Michael J. Merfeld passed away late Sunday, March 5, 2017, at Mercy Hallmar in Cedar Rapids. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 22nd at All Saints Catholic Church at 10:30 a.m. by Father Dustin Vu. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. A vigil service will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21st at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, where friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friends may also call after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
Mike was born to Michael C. and Bertha (Bries) Merfeld in Cascade, Iowa on January 17, 1924. He attended Loras College, in Dubuque, for one year after high school. In 1943 he began training as a naval officer, first in Maryville, Missouri and then at Midshipmen’s School at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In December 1944 he was deployed to the Pacific. At age 21, and second in command on his minesweeper, he helped clear Tokyo harbor of mines in the fall of 1945. Upon returning from the war in 1948, he completed his degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University in Ames. Mike moved to Cedar Rapids and worked for Century Engineering for three decades.
In 1950, Mike married Kathleen McDonnell in Independence, Iowa. Together they have seven children, 22 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Mike and Kathleen were married 56 years, until her death in 2006.
Mike and Kathleen enjoyed playing bridge. Mike enjoyed hunting and especially fishing. He was a strong believer in the value of education. He would repair anything, for anyone, at any time. He enjoyed watching his children’s sports. Curious, creative and up to the challenge, he designed an electronic air filter and installed hot water solar in the 1970s. He enjoyed a martini and a bit of gambling, sometimes together. He was an informed, engaging and interested conversationalist. He and Kathleen took trips to distant points of the country; Mike always drove.
Mike is preceded in death by his parents; his sister Ann Mattson; and his brother Don. He is survived by Fern, his brother’s widow; Virginia Regan, Kathleen’s sister; and his children: Joan (John) Roberts of Marion; Dr. Janet Merfeld (Dr. Kevin Murray) of Cedar Rapids; Jim (Sidney Anderson) Merfeld of Bellingham, Washington; Tom (Ann) Merfeld of Madison, Wisconsin; Pat (Owen) MacDonald of Lenexa, Kansas; Mark (Julie) Merfeld of Clive; and Ellen (Jeff) Morrow of Cedar Rapids.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Hallmar for their care and friendship.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: Hall-Perrine Cancer Center or Xavier High School Foundation.