Iris A. Merkel

Iris Merkel of Cold Spring, MN, age 83 passed away on August 15 in Peoria, IL, surrounded by her loving family. She is the daughter of John and Mary Carvatt. Iris was the second of five children and was born and raised in Minnesota. She is survived by her husband, Edward Merkel of Mesa, AZ; her loving daughter, Kelly McKinney (William) of Peoria, IL; her two grandchildren, Megan McKinney-Downs (Michael) of Woodbury, MN and William McKinney V (Nicole) of Bartonville, IL; sister, Doris LeMieux; brother, Ronald Carvatt (Ellen) and nephews/nieces. Iris is preceded in death by her daughter, Deborah Smith; son, Gregory Smith; sisters, Maureen Knopik and Daureen Messer; and brothers-in-law, Florian Knopik and Lawrence LeMieux. Iris was known for her quick wit and crafty card skills. She retired from Honeywell, Inc, in 1985 after 30 years with the company. During retirement she was an active RSVP volunteer in St. Cloud and a member of St. James Catholic Church in Jacobs Prairie. When it came to fishing, she would catch’em, clean’em, cook’em but would never ever eat them! No one could can a batch of tomatoes like Iris, and she kept her family well stocked and well fed! She was a wonderful grandmother to her grandchildren and their spouses, was always up for a game of cribbage, and was practically a walking spell check. She enjoyed her retirement as a snowbird spending half of the year in her home state of Minnesota on the Sauk River in Cold Spring and the other half in the mild winters of Mesa, AZ. A visitation for Iris will be from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m., Wednesday at the Wenner Funeral Home in Cold Spring. Parish Prayers will be 7:00 p.m. followed by a rosary with the Knights of Columbus. Visitation will continue from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, August 22, 2013 at St. James Catholic Church in Jacobs Prairie, MN. Interment will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, MN. Memorials preferred to Sandra J. Schulze American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, 411 Second St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901.