Merle Trummel

TRUMMEL, GROVES, EYESTONE

Posted By: Harvey W. Henry (email)
Date: 2/13/2004 at 11:09:01

Merle Trummel

John Franklin Merle Trummel, better known as Merle, age 87, of 701 Oaknoll Drive, Iowa City, died peacefully in his sleep at University of Iowa Hospitals early Wednesday morning, January 21, 2004. Merle has donated his body to the University of Iowa Anatomy Department. A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 14. Memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church or The University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-4550 for the College of Engineering scholarships.

Merle Trummel, was born December 28, 1916 in Macon County, Illinois to Lewis Henry and Nellie May (Groves) Trummel. He graduated from Zion Grade School and Argenta High School. In June 1939, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. He received a Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa in June 1940. On August 5, 1942 he married Eleanor Ruth Eyestone in Fairfield, Iowa.

Following graduation in Ames, he worked at the John Deere Plow Works in Moline, Illinois, until October 1941 when he began teaching in the Engineering College at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. From the fall of 1952 until the fall of 1953 he was on leave to work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and returned there to work for the following four summers. The spring semester of 1979-80 he was on leave to work at Deere & Company Technical Center in Moline, Illinois. Merle received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in February 1960 from the University of Iowa and retired from teaching in 1986, when he continued his hobbies of genealogy and refinishing old furniture.

Merle was an active member of First United Methodist Church.

Surviving him are his wife, Eleanor of 701 Oaknoll Drive, Iowa City; children, Elizabeth Curtis of Fair Oaks, California, Barbara Andersen and husband, David, of Hudson, Colorado, Bruce Trummel and special friend Will Bailey of Castroville, California, Keith Trummel and wife Paula Israel of Berkeley, California; grandchildren, Kristin Esposito and husband, Joshua, of Hudson, Colorado, Robyn Glove and husband, Eric, of Portland, Oregon, Laura Anderson of Hudson, Colorado, Kelsey Israel Trummel of Berkeley, California, Mackenzie Israel Trummel of Berkeley, California; great-grandchild, Emily Jane Esposito of Hudson, Colorado, and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and several great-greats. His siblings, Norm Trummel and wife, Agnes, of Lovington, Illinois, Helen Friske of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rachel Mary Wise and husband, Carroll, of Forsyth, Illinois, Eugene Trummel and wife, Irene, of Fort Meyers, Florida; sisters-in-law, Flo Walker and husband, John and Esther Eyestone all of Denver, Colorado.

His parents preceded him in death as did his three oldest brothers Russell and wife Grace, Delbert and wife Frances and Edwin and wife Daryle and two brothers-in-law Edward Friske and Wilbur Eyestone and wife Ruby, and another sister-in-law, Janie Trummel. One son-in-law, Timothy Curtis, also preceded him in death.