Merlyn Fooken

Merlyn Fooken, 74, of Bridgewater, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at the Adair County Memorial Hospital in Greenfield, Iowa.

Merlyn Gene Fooken was born March 28, 1934, on a farm near Cumberland, Iowa, the son of John A. and Jospehine M. (Bannick) Fooken. He attended school in Massena and Wiota and graduated from Wiota High School in 1953. Following graduation, Merlyn served his country in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. After returning from Germany, he attended Nebraska Trade School in Milford, Nebraska.

On March 6, 1960, he married Mary M. Metzger at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church south of Wiota, Iowa. The coupled was blessed with three sons, David, Pat and Steven.

With the training Merlyn received from trade school he began working at a Ford dealership in Walnut, Iowa, doing auto body and fender repair. After a short time, he decided to open his own shop in Walnut. In 1972 the couple moved to Bridgewater, Iowa, where he was the owner of Bridgewater Auto Body. Along with working in his body shop, he drove a school bus for 22 years. After retirement, Merlyn continued as a substitute driver for Bridgewater-Fontanelle Schools.

He was a member of the William-Thompson Post #703 in Bridgewater, Iowa.

One of Merlyn's hobbies was carving and working with wood. He made canes, airplanes and other miscellaneous items including the totem pole that stands in the yard at his home. He was a history buff, mostly interested in WWII, whether it was watching it on television or reading a book about it. Merlyn enjoyed riding his motorcycle. A memory his sons will always have is riding 4-wheelers with him down by the river and other various places. Merlyn was very proud of his most recent accomplishment of installing a rock waterfall in the yard.

Merlyn is survived by his wife, Mary of Bridgewater, Iowa; his sons, David (Brenda) Fooken of Minburn, Iowa, Pat (Shiela) Fooken of Manilla, Iowa, and Steven (Martha) Fooken of Defiance, Iowa; his grandchildren, Megan and Jessica Fooken of Minburn, Iowa, Josh Fooken of Tingley, Iowa, Brian (Amber) Fooken of Mount Ayr, Iowa, and Kurt Fooken of Fort Myer, Virginia; and his great-grandson, Trey.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Josephine Fooken.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 17, 2009, in the chapel at Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday also at Hockenberry's. The burial of ashes will be held in the First Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, south of Wiota, IA.

Condolences may be left at www.hockenberryfamilycare.com.

Hockenberry Family Care in Atlantic, Iowa, is in charge of the arrangements.