William F. Merten

June 28, 1927 - July 4, 2009

William Frederick Merten of Waukesha was welcomed into heaven Saturday, July 4, 2009, at age 82. He was surrounded by his family at AngelsGrace Hospice in Oconomowoc. William was born in Waukesha on June 28, 1927, the son of Christian and Dorothy (nee Brandt) Merten.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. On July 22, 1950, he married Martha Duncan in the town of Vernon. William worked for Briggs & Stratton for 30 years, and following retirement, he worked for Greenwald Building Inspection for 12 years. He was a lifelong and very active member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. He and Martha traveled extensively after their retirement, including spending a winter working with missionaries in Siberia.

William will be dearly missed by his loving wife, Martha of Waukesha; his children, Pamela (Earl) Heidtke of New Ulm, Minn., the Rev. Philip (Pam) Merten of Wauwatosa, Stephen (Dianne) Merten of Minneapolis, Christian (Celeste) Merten of Cape Coral, Fla., and the Rev. Brent (Jane) Merten of Eagle, Colo.; grandchildren, Sarah, Kristina, Emily, Laura, Kyle, Benjamin, Molly, Emily, Matthew and Anna; and great-grandchildren, Jacob, Samuel, Jonas and Naomi. He is further survived by his sisters, Grace Blado and Florence Smith, both of Waukesha, along with nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Raymond; his sisters, Irma and Lillian; and his great-grandson, Riley.

Visitation will be held from 12:30 p.m. until the 3 p.m. funeral service Friday, July 10, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 700 Beechwood Ave., Waukesha, WI 53186. Graveside services with full military honors will follow the service at Prairie Home Cemetery.

If desired, memorials are appreciated to Wisconsin Lutheran Institutional Ministries, 2949 N. Mayfair Road, Suite 105, Milwaukee, WI 53222, or to the church (address above).

For further information, please call Randle-Dable Funeral, Cremation and Preplanning Services at 547-4035 or go to www.waukeshafunerals.com to leave an online tribute.