Lavon Arlene Merley

IN MEMORY OF
LAVON A. “BONNIE” MERLEY

BORN
August 11, 1929
Sheldon, Iowa
PASSED AWAY
October 29, 2007
Sheldon, Iowa

FUNERAL SERVICE
10:30 A.M. Thursday
November 1, 2007
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Sheldon, Iowa
OFFICIATING
Rev. Mark W. Kukkonen & Rev. Amy Fondroy Eich

Visitation
Wednesday, October 31st after 2:00pm
with the family present from 7:00 - 8:00pm
at the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home
MUSIC
“Precious Lord, Take My Hand”
Sung by: Darlene Petitt
CONGREGATIONAL HYMNS
“Beautiful Savior”
“How Great Thou Art”
Organist: Dorothy Breuer

HONORARY CASKET BEARERS
Special Coffee Friends
CASKET BEARERS
Ken Murphy Roger Poppema
Rick Boone Ellten Jederberg
Larry Rosenboom Tony Behrens

FINAL RESTING PLACE
St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Sheldon, Iowa

Arrangements under the care of the
Vander Ploeg Funeral Home of Sheldon, Iowa

After graveside service relatives and friends are invited to
join the family in the fellowship hall of the church.
LAVON A. “BONNIE” MERLEY
Lavon Arlen “Bonnie” Merley, the daughter of Albert and Esther (Kort) Paulson, was born August 11, 1929 in Sheldon, Iowa. She received her education in Sheldon and graduated from Sheldon High School in 1946. She was united in marriage to Louis M. Merley on December 29, 1948 in St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheldon, Iowa and the couple made their home on the Merley home place south of Sheldon. Bonnie worked as a telephone operator, telegraph operator in Chicago, Illinois and as a bookkeeper, but mostly she was a homemaker. Her husband preceded her in death on August 28, 2002 in Sioux City, Iowa. Bonnie continued to live on the home place. She passed away on Monday, October 29, 2007, at the Sanford Sheldon Medical Center in Sheldon, Iowa, reaching the age of 78 years, 2 months and 18 days.
She was a life long member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheldon, the ladies aid, the Dorcas Society. She was an active member of the Hospital Auxiliary, chaired the bazaar and held offices with great pride for about thirty years. She was a true farmer’s wife - loving the out of doors, gardening and flowers. She enjoyed bowling and she was a mom and grandma to many.
Bonnie leaves to cherish her memory, her two sons, Mark Merley and Kathy Merley of Archer, Iowa and Steve Merley of Sheldon, Iowa; two grandsons, Brandon and Brent; a sister, Doris and her husband, Richard Fondroy of Albert City, Iowa; a brother, Donald Paulson of Sheldon, Iowa; a brother-in-law, Gerald Thorman of Sheldon, Iowa; four nieces and their spouses, Elaine and Paul Floy and girls; Susan and Brian Carstens and family; Amy and Pat Eich and boys; Lisa and Dan Drenkow and family; and a host of other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, a sister, Lois Thorman and a nephew, Darrel Fondroy.

Memorials may be directed to the:
June E. Nylen Cancer Center in Sioux City
or to the St. Paul Lutheran Church Sewing Group.








Composed ~ Spoken October 21, 2007 by Bonnie

I love my family,
I love my friends….
The road is getting darker,
Life is short.

The journey is getting shorter…
Darkness is coming,
I’m tired…
I’m so tried.

I love my family,
I love my friends…
After 33 years,
The Big “C” has caught up with me.

I love my family,
I love my friends.

By Lavon “Bonnie” Merley