Maurice Merfeld

Maurice "Mick" Merfeld age 84 of Nashua, IA, died Monday, February 12, 2018, at Nora Springs Care Center in Nora Springs, IA. A Memorial Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 17, 2018, at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Nashua with Rev. John Hemann Celebrating the Mass. Honorary pallbearers will be Wayne Miller, Mel Johnston, Dennis Litterer, Scott Franzen, Dean Lynch and Tom Cronin. A private family burial will take place at a later date. Friends may greet the family 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 16, 2018, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home - Olson Chapel in Nashua. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the funeral home on Saturday. On February 12, 2018, after a life well-played, Maurice (Mick) Merfeld, 84, exchanged the fairways of Nashua Town and Country club for the 19th hole of eternity. Born on September 9, 1933, as a the eighth child of nine to George and Cecelia Merfeld in Greene, Iowa, Mick asserted his affinity for conversation at a young age to get noticed. He began his education at St. Mary’s Catholic school, in a class that included eight girls and Mick, enviable dating odds except his classmates were all his cousins. Mick later attended and graduated from Greene High School in 1951, where his greatest achievements were playing on a football team with a perfect record (they lost every single game for four straight years) and managing the girls cloak room with his best friend, Wayne Miller. Mick began working for the telephone company as a teenager and installed nearly every rotary phone in Butler County after the switch from operator assistance. In 1955, Mick met Sharon Chandler on a blind date and married her on November 16, 1956, despite her mother’s warnings. After marriage, Mick began selling investments for State Bond and Mortgage Company. Later, Mick’s entrepreneurial spirit caused him to take a leap of faith and purchase the Nashua DX service station even though he had no mechanical experience. Fortunately, Sharon stayed by his side and they moved to Nashua where he operated his business six days a week for the next thirty-two years (minus a quick round of golf occasionally and his 1:00 standing tee time on Wednesdays). Upon retirement in 1995, Mick exchanged working hard for playing hard, and spent the next twenty years wintering in Texas where he enjoyed golf, pool, cards, and socializing. Mick’s pace finally slowed two years ago when ALS compromised his mobility. However, his positive attitude never wavered as he spent his time socializing at Subway and at the country club, as well as following the Chicago Cubs, Iowa Hawkeyes or any other team that happened to be playing on television. In the end, Mick and Sharon’s marriage endured sixty-one mostly happy years except for the times when she turned on the Hallmark channel during a ballgame, forgot to serve ketchup with meatloaf, or offered advice on Mick’s driving. Mick left a lasting legacy through his life of service. In 1968, as president of the Nashua Civic Club, he appointed a committee to plan a golf course (making sure to strategically design holes to help him reach his twenty-three lifetime holes in one). He also served as Nashua School Board president for many years, country club president, and chairman of a successful school bond committee. Mick is survived by his wife, Sharon, of Nashua, son Timothy (Carrie) Merfeld of Oakland, California, daughter Suzy (Keith) Turner of Rockford, daughter-in-law Sheri Merfeld of Agoura, California, sister Lucille (Tom) Cronin of Nashua, four grandchildren, and many friends. Mick was preceded in death by his parents, George and Cecelia Merfeld, five brothers, two sisters, and one son, Greg Merfeld, in 2012.