Ronald Otto Merbach

Ronald Otto Merbach conquered pancreatic cancer and battled related complications with courage. He passed away peacefully with his family at his side on September 27, 2024. 

Ron was born August 8, 1941, to Rudolph and Geneva (Kanter) Merbach and grew up on a working dairy farm in Sherwood with his parents and three brothers, Rudolph, Robert (Ron’s twin) and Richard. 

He attended Jackson Elementary School in Sherwood, graduated from 8th grade at Trinity Lutheran School, and later graduated from Kaukauna High School in 1959. 

In 1958 during his senior year of high school, he met his wife, Muriel, a classmate in his Mixed Chorus and agreed to attend the Turn-About-Dance after Muriel invited him. Ron later admitted his first thought was “no” because how could that cute girl be asking a farm boy like him to a dance. But luckily, after a nervous pencil-drop, he said yes. After planning to break-up when Muriel went off to college, they thought “maybe not.” An on-and-off again relationship ensued with Ron making the drive to Lawrence College to take walks by the river, attend more dances, and continue the courtship. Ron and Muriel later married on September 28, 1963, and shared almost 61 years of married life raising their three children. 

Having grown up on a farm, Ron’s working career started long before his secondary education and the self-described farm boy possessed many skills from his Apprenticeship on Merbach Lane that prepared him for employment. In high school he worked after school hours at the Shell Station on the northside of Kaukauna. This experience led to employment at Coffey Motors in Kaukauna as an automotive finish technician. Ron’s strong mechanical aptitude and abilities in all things mechanical led to a career change in 1963, when he accepted a job at Giddings & Lewis Machine Tool Company in Kaukauna where he stayed for over 23 years. When the Kaukauna plant closed in 1985, Ron continued on with G&L commuting to the Fond du Lac plant but later accepted a position at Valmet in Appleton to be closer to home. In his role at both G&L and Valmet, Ron traveled domestically and internationally as a field service representative specializing in high-speed shaft assembly techniques and perfected his craft through continued career training and various trade-related certifications. In addition to his manufacturing day job, Ron spent many years refinishing cars in his home workshop and was always looking for the next project. If Ron needed one wood splitter, he built two!

Outside of work and in retirement, Ron enjoyed a variety of hobbies, always surrounding himself with many friends and family members. From being a member of the Ghost Rods Car Club, to stuffing a 460 engine into a fox-bodied Mustang, to driving a 1967 Mustang Fastback along HWY 41 at break-neck speed for a trek to and from the Northwoods, automotive work and cars were always part of Ron’s DNA. When not tinkering in the garage, Ron also enjoyed golfing, bowling, hunting, fishing, sturgeon spearing, shooting skeet and sporting clays, loading his own shot gun shells, and, as Ron would say, “I make sawdust”!

As a testament to his carpentry skills, Ron and his father built a cabin for Ron’s family in 1975 after spending many years in the Northwoods at his parent’s cabin nearby. Ron and Muriel spent many weekends at the cabin feeding the birds, managing the chipmunk and red squirrel population with expert skill, and taking drives to Rhinelander for ice cream cones, a mandatory practice. Many happy and special memories were made by the family from days spent together at the cabin. 

Ron is survived by his wife, Muriel (Mongin), daughter, Anne (Robert) Krautkramer, sons, Michael (Lisa) Merbach, Daniel (Angela) Merbach, and grandchildren whom he loved dearly: Stephanie (special friend, Skyler) Krautkramer, Julia (Samuel) Klein, Louis (special friend, Becca) Merbach, Alexis (Aaron) Hedtke, Karlyn Merbach, Joseph Merbach, Reid Merbach, and a special great-grandchild, Walter Hedtke. He is further survived by his brother, Richard (Pati) Merbach, sisters-in-law Susan Hinkens, Elaine Merbach, Betty Merbach, and many nieces and nephews that Ron loved dearly. 

Ron is preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Geneva (Kanter) Merbach, father- and mother-in-law, Arthur and Mabel (Look) Mongin, brothers Rudolph Merbach, Robert Merbach, and brother-in-law Glen Hinkens. 

Visitation will be held Monday, October 7, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 804 Grignon Street, Kaukauna beginning at 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM. The Christian Funeral Service will follow at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established for Trinity Lutheran Church, Brown County Sportmen’s Club and Stockbridge Harbor Fishing Club.

The family would like to express a special thank you to Dr. Fredrik Jenssen, Dr. Matthew McShane, Dr. Jamaluddin Saeed, and all of the doctors, nurses, and staff at Thedacare Regional Medical Center-Appleton and Thedacare Regional Cancer Center for their exceptional care.