06/18/2005
Merle Edwin Schlotterback, Jr. was born on August 23, 1947 in Knoxville, Iowa, the son of Merle and Marjorie Turner Schlotterback. He attended Knoxville High School and graduated in 1966.
Merle married Rita Sulentich in Miami, Oklahoma on July 3,
1972. Merle served his country from 1966 to 1970. He served as a Petty Officer Signalman
3rd Class with the United States Navy his first three years enlisted. In his final
year, he served as a boat crew gunner in Operation Game Warden with the Iron Butterfly
Task Force on a river patrol boat in Vietnam. He received the Gold Star, Bronze,
Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal all in the line of combat.
He worked on the assembly line at the Maytag Corporation in Newton for 14 years.
Merle enjoyed going to the Knoxville sprint car races, watching NASCAR Racing and
following the St. Louis Rams Football team.
Merle passed away on Saturday, June 18, 2005, at Knoxville Area Community Hospital at the age of 57 years, nine months
and 25 days.
He was preceded in death by his parents and wife, Rita in 1987.
He is survived by one son, Wes of West Des Moines; one brother, Bill (Kim); one sister,
Susan Evans (Robert); one nephew, Bryan Schlotterback (Amanda); his stepmother,
Ruth Schlotterback; all of Knoxville; three step brothers, Jim (Sherri) Reed and
John (Martha) Reed, both of Melcher—Dallas, and Dick (Vicki) Reed of Knoxville;
two step sisters, Nancy (Jack) Kingrey and Rita Crabtree, both of Knoxville; two
step nephews, Mike Jones of Knoxville and Bobbie Dean Evans of Newton; three-step
nieces, Stephanie Jones of West Des Moines, Dena Spicer of Decatur, and Robin Shemanski
of Knoxville; and his companion, Ruth Welch of Knoxville; and many other relatives
and friends.