Funeral services for 94-year-old Merlin “Merl” Dubbels of Northfield, Minnesota, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, March 18, 2017, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Northfield. The church is located at 803 Winona Street.
Interment will be in Oaklawn Cemetery in Northfield, located at 1415 Wall Street Road.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2017, at the Bierman Funeral Home in Northfield. The funeral home is located at 1316 Division Street South. Visitation will continue at the church on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Online condolences to the family may be sent to: funeral.www.biermanfuneralhome.com.
Merlin Dubbels passed away with his family by his side on Tuesday morning, March 14, 2017, at the care center of the Northfield Retirement Community in Northfield.
Merlin Paul Dubbels was born on November 27, 1922, in Askov, Minnesota, the son of Paul and Mary (Urban) Dubbels. He attended country school and helped on the family dairy farm. When he was 18, he moved with his family to Randolph, Minnesota, to the farm that Merl eventually took over.
In 1950, while attending a dance, a pretty girl named Gloria Groth caught Merlin’s eye. Four years later, on September 9, 1954, they married at Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran Church in Eagan, Minnesota. After marriage they settled on the Dubbels family farm, raising cows, crops and their children. In 1996, they moved into town and passed the farm to their son – although Merl continued to help.
Merl enjoyed morning coffee at the Quarterback Club, tinkering with and fixing things around the house, keeping up the lawn and whenever possible – fishing. Merl took a few Canadian fishing trips which he greatly enjoyed, and along with Gloria, traveled to Florida, Arizona and California. He was a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church, the Sciota Township Board, the ASCS (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service) County Board and the Cannon Valley Lions Club.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Gloria; his daughter, Brenda (Curtis) Feil of Mountain Lake, Minnesota; his son, Garlan (Kathleen) of Randolph; four grandchildren, Reid Feil (Haley Matzke), Kaitlin Feil, Jacob Dubbels and Luke Dubbels; four great-grandchildren, Maverick, Kutler, Bridger amd BrynLee; his brother, Glenn (JoAnn) of Farmington, Minnesota; his sister Alta (Don) Anderson of Bloomington, Minnesota; nieces, nephews, other family and many friends.
Preceding him in death were his parents; his brothers, Clarence, Harold and Ervin and his sisters, Ethel Ladwig and Gladys Lobdell.