Merlin W. Spieker

Merlin W. Spieker of Adell went to his eternal home in heaven on March 21, 2024, with his family at his side. He is now with the Savior he faithfully served for 89 years.
Merlin was born in the Town of Sherman on July 11, 1934, a son of the late Otto and Elvira Janke Spieker.
He was baptized on July 22, 1934, and was confirmed on March 21, 1948, at St. John Lutheran Church, Sherman Center, where he remained a member his whole life.
His childhood was spent on the farm in rural Random Lake with his parents and sister. The values of faith, family and hard work were instilled in him from an early age.
He attended school at St. John Lutheran School, Sherman Center, and went on to continue working on the farm, eventually taking it over.
On June 16, 1956, he married the pastor’s daughter, Lois Margaret Zapf, at their home church, with the Rev. Zapf officiating.
They began their life together on the family farm, farming the land, raising ponies and later raising pigs. Merlin took such pride in taking care of the farm with Lois at his side until they sold the farm to their son in 1988.
Together they were blessed with three children who would continue to be the light of Merlin’s life throughout the years. All of them live nearby, and Merlin looked forward to and greatly enjoyed his daily visits with them, especially after Lois’ passing in 1999.
Merlin also worked full time as an assembler at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, and retired from there after 44 years of hard work and dedicated service to a job he truly loved. There he met many friends who would stay dear to him after he retired.
Merlin was an honest, hard-working man who loved his family and had many friends. He enjoyed snowmobiling in his younger years and even went into business for a short time with a good friend of his. He had a passion for motorcycles and took many trips on his Honda Gold Wing trike with his motorcycle friends. He was an avid turkey hunter with lots of successful hunts on the farm.
After his son took over the farm, he would help his son and grandsons during pumpkin season and would drive the tractor for hayrides.
He loved meeting his friends at the local mini mart for coffee each morning before the pandemic hit.
He took such joy in spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They always brought out his beaming smile, and he loved cracking his witty jokes when they were around.
Survivors include his three children, Debbie (Paul) Burmesch, Tom (Annette) Spieker and Sarah (James) Arndt, all of Random Lake; six grandchildren, Angie Burgard (Aaron Beck) of Random Lake, Jeremy Sauter (Nicole Jahner) of Dickinson, N.D., Ross Spieker, Ashley (Coty) Bahr, both of Random Lake, Allison (Jeremy) Neerhof of West Bend and Alyssa (Will) Franke of Fond du Lac; five great-grandchildren, Alexia Dutton, Adalynn Bahr, Alliver Franke, Maverick Sauter and Asher Neerhof and another great-grandchild on the way; nieces; nephews; cousins; and many other relatives and friends, including his dear friend Jean.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Lois; grandson Tyler Spieker; parents Otto and Elvira Spieker; in-laws the Rev. Edmund (Florence) Zapf; infant brother Wallace Spieker; sister and brother-in-law Lucille and Gary Goetsch; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law David (Marilyn) Zapf and Tom (Pat) Kurtz; and nephew and niece Joel and Ronda Goetsch.
Visitation will be held at St. John Lutheran Church, Sherman Center, on Saturday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. The service will be at 3 p.m., with Pastor Christopher Gillespie officiating. A private burial will follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John Lutheran Church, Sherman Center.
Suchon Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Plymouth is serving the family.
For online condolences, please visit www.suchonfh.com.
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