Merlin G. Rostermundt

IRETON, IOWA ~ Merlin G. Rostermundt, 94, of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, formerly of Ireton, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at Floyd Senior Living in Sergeant Bluff.

 Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ireton, with Rev. Michael Boothby officiating. Burial will be at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. prior to the funeral. The Porter Funeral Home is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com. The funeral service will be recorded and available on the church website at www.stpaulsireton.weebly.com or on the church Facebook or YouTube page.

 Merlin G. Rostermundt was born March 11, 1930, in Manning, Iowa the son of Marie Rostermundt. He graduated from Manning High School where he was a member of the 1948 State Champion Basketball team. He then attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa where he lettered in three sports and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952. In 1966, he earned his Master of Education degree from the University of South Dakota.

 Merlin married Marilyn Grau, his high school classmate, on November 23, 1950 in Arcadia, Iowa. Merlin was a High School instructor and coach in Fairfield until moving to Westside, Iowa in 1956. He taught and coached and became the elementary principal for the AR-WE-VA School district until 1961. The family moved to Ireton, Iowa in 1961 where he was employed as the elementary principal for West Sioux Community School in Ireton until 1969.

 Merlin left education in 1969 to enter into the Banking and Insurance business, which he did for the next 24 years. In this period of time, he served on the Ireton City Council, as the City Clerk, and later as Mayor of Ireton. Merlin spent 4 years as a Northwest Iowa Technical College School Board member in Sheldon and 6 years on the West Sioux Community School Board, serving 5 years as president of the board.

 During Merlin’s life, many Friday and Saturday nights were spent refereeing football and basketball games for 20 years. He also served on St. Paul’s Lutheran Church council in various positions from chairman to finance secretary. He also served for 23 years as a member of the Sioux County Election Board for Reading Township. Merlin was inducted into the Parsons College Wall of Honor on October 8, 2016.

 Merlin is survived by their three children, Monica Verros of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, Mona Lewis of Cedar City, Utah, and Matthew Rostermundt and wife Annie of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; 7 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

 He was preceded in death by his mother, Marie; wife, Marilyn who passed on April 13, 2017; son-in-law, Will Verros;  and an infant daughter, Marla.