Steve & Elizabeth (Zeles) Merkl

Obituary: Calgary Herald, December 23, 1994

MERKL - Mrs. Elizabeth Merkl passed away in Calgary on December 25, 1994 at the age of 84 years. Mrs. Merkl will be sadly missed by her loving husband, Steve; three sons, John and his wife Jean, Joe and his wife Margaret, and Steve and his wife Irma; twelve grandchildren; thirteen great grandchildren; two brothers and three sisters living in Europe, and nieces and nephews. Friends and relatives are invited to Prayers at SMITH'S Memorial Chapel, Brooks, on Thursday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated from St. Mary's Catholic Church, Brooks, on Friday, December 30, at 11:00 a.m., the Rev. Keith Sorge, Celebrant. Interment will follow at Brooks Cemetery. If friends desire, memorial tributes may be made to either Brooks Health Centre or S.T.A.R.S c/o Box 417, Brooks, AB T1R 1B4. Arrangements are in care of SMITH FUNERAL HOME, Brooks. Telephone: 1-403-362-4636.

Obituary: Calgary Herald, August 28, 2004

MERKL_Stephen 1901 - 2004 Stephen Merkl Sr. passed away peacefully at the Orchard Manor in Brooks, Alberta on August 25, 2004 at the age of 102 years. He was born in Sokolovac, Yugoslavia (Croatia) on December 17, 1901. He was the second of seven children born to John and Maria Merkl. He came to Canada in 1925 by ship to Quebec City and travelled across Canada working at various jobs. He settled in Red Cliff, Alberta and worked in the coal mine for ten years. While there he saved enough to buy a car and a house. In the spring of 1930 Elizabeth Zeles, a girl from his own village, came to Canada and in July of 1930 they were married in Regina, Saskatchewan. While living in Red Cliff, they had three sons, John, Joe and Steve Jr. In 1935 Stephen came to the One Tree District near Brooks, where he bought a farm. He moved his family there in 1936 and they farmed in the district for thirty-three years. They retired in 1969 and moved to Calgary and their son Joe took over the farm. Stephen continued to live in his own home in Calgary until he was one hundred and one years old. He then moved to Forest Grove Nursing Home in Calgary and later moved to the Orchard Manor in Brooks. He was predeceased by his wife Elizabeth in 1994 and his oldest son, John in 2003. He is survived by his two sons, Joe (Margaret) Merkl and Steve (Irma) Merkl of Brooks; a daughter-in-law, Jean Merkl of Calgary; twelve grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. He is also survived by a sister and brother in Hungary, a sister-in-law and several nieces and nephews. Special thanks to the staff at Forest Grove Nursing Home and Orchard Manor for their care and support. The Funeral will be held on Wednesday, September 1 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Brooks, Alberta. If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made in Stephen's name to a charity of your choice.