William Merten

WAUKESHA-William Frederick Merten of Waukesha was welcomed into heaven on Saturday, July 4, 2009, at the age of 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 WWII.  On July 22, 1950 he married Martha Duncan in the Town of Vernon.  William worked for Briggs and 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, MN, Rev. Philip (Pam) Merten of Wauwatosa, Stephen (Dianne) Merten of Minneapolis, MN, Christian (Celeste) Merten of Cape Coral, FL and Rev. Brent (Jane) Merten of Eagle, CO, grandchildren: Sarah, Kristina, Emily, Laura, Kyle, Benjamin, Molly, Emily, Matthew and Anna, 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 on Friday, July 10, 2009 from 12:30 until the 3:00PM funeral service at Grace Ev. 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 or directions, please call Randle-Dable Funeral, Cremation and Preplanning Services at (262) 547-4035. Please visit www.waukeshafunerals.com to leave an on-line tribute.