Merle W. Rethamel

Merle W. Rethamel NEW HAMPTON, Iowa--Merle William Rethamel, 75, of New Hampton, passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at Linn Haven Rehab and Care Center in New Hampton. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2013, at the Holy Family Parish, St. Joseph Center, 202 North Broadway, New Hampton, Iowa 50659. The Reverend Mark Osterhaus will officiate. Burial will take place in St. Mary's Cemetery at New Hampton. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 31, 2013, with a 4:30 p.m. rosary, and a 6 p.m. scriptural wake service at the Conway-Markham Funeral Home, 115 North Broadway Avenue, New Hampton, Iowa 50659. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Monday. Memorials may be directed to the family. Merle was born on January 13, 1938, to Raymond and Helen Kubik Rethamel in Elma, Iowa. As a child, Merle's family moved to a farm east of New Hampton. Merle is a 1956 high school graduate of New Hampton High. He enlisted into the US Army in 1961 and received his honorable discharge on December 20, 1962. Merle was united in marriage to Alice Reicks on September 5, 1964, at St. Stevens Catholic Church ...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

Chester, Iowa. He worked at White Farm Equipment in Charles City for 34 years. Merle also worked for GMT in Waverly until he retired in 2001. He enjoyed carpentry, working and grading mink, and Hawkeye and Chickasaw sports. Merle especially enjoyed his grandchildren and attending their functions. He was a member of Holy Family Parish ~ St. Mary's Center. Merle is survived by his loving wife, Alice Rethamel of New Hampton; children, Shari Rasing and husband, Ken, of New Hampton, Sheila Shekleton and husband, Greg, of New Hampton, William Rethamel and wife, Denise, of Muscatine, Sandi Honts and husband, Ken, of New Boston, Illinois; 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Lois Girken of Charles City; a brother, Eldon Rethamel and wife, Penny, of Fredericksburg; and several nieces and nephews. Merle is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Helen Rethamel; three brothers, Father Roger Rethamel, Dale Rethamel, and Reed Rethamel; and a son, Mark Rethamel on July 24, 2004; four brothers-in-law, Garland Girken, Delbert Reicks, Melvin Reicks, and Virgil McGrane; and a sister-in-law, Mary Rethamel.