Merten, Elizabeth Sue (1945-2018)

MERTEN, SMITH, DAVIS, DIETRICH

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 8/30/2018 at 11:26:20

Elizabeth Sue Merten
May 3, 1945 - July 31, 2018

Elizabeth S. Merten, age 73, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Elizabeth Sue Merten, a daughter of Fred and Masie (Davis) Smith, was born on May 3, 1945, in Mooresville, North Carolina. She attended grade school in North Carolina and graduated from South Rowan High School in China Grove, North Carolina. On June 3, 1963, she enlisted in the United States Army to serve her country during the Vietnam War era. She was honorably discharged on October 12, 1964.

Elizabeth joined the Catholic Church in August of 1964 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. On October 3, 1964, she married Richard Francis Merten in Kannapolis, North Carolina. They were blessed with one daughter, Lisa Ann Merten.

Elizabeth believed in life-long learning, she graduated in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake. She, then, pursued a master’s degree in Human Resources, completing it in 2006 at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. Along the way, she, also, attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a degree in Business Management. Invested in her work, she held numerous Human Resources Certifications including: The Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional (SCP), Human Resource Certification Institute - Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Drake University - Employment Law.

Elizabeth worked at Buena Vista University for over thirty-nine years. She retired in 2016 as the Vice President of Business Services. That same year, she received an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Business from Buena Vista University.

In her free time, Elizabeth enjoyed gardening, restoring antiques, reading, and sitting on the deck by her flower gardens. She loved Australian Shepherd puppies and Mustang cars. In addition, she loved to travel in the South, especially to the beaches of North and South Carolina.

Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Richard Merten, of Storm Lake, Iowa; her daughter, Lisa Merten (Larry Dietrich), of Ankeny, Iowa; her brother, Carl Smith, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; her grandchild, Isabella Dietrich, of Ankeny, Iowa; and her grand-puppies: Shelby, Amia, and Ava; as well as numerous other family members in Iowa, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Masie (Davis) Smith; her brothers, John and James Smith; her brother-in-law, Tom Merten; her godmother, Martha Stough; and puppies: Sugar, Beau, Brittany, Jessica, Jessie, Emily, and Avery.

Celebration of Life services will be held on August 17, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. In honor of Elizabeth’s love of college football, please wear your favorite Buena Vista University, Iowa State, Nebraska, or college team apparel. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Elizabeth S. Merten Scholarship Fund at Buena Vista University. A private funeral mass and burial will follow at a later date. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, Storm Lake, Iowa, 2018.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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