Merle Lee Deardorff

Merle Lee Deardorff, 92, passed away September 4, 2011 in Puyallup. He was born February 15, 1919 in Happy Valley, Oregon. He is survived by his daughters, Beverly Emmons, Merlynn Deardorff, Charlene Deardorff, brother-in-law & sister in -law Clarence & Jeanne Palmer, sister-in-law Darlene Deardorff; grandfather to Randy, Rod, Ben and Rex and 5 great-grandchildren.

This is not something I was looking forward to doing. I was rather expecting Merle to be reading my Oibutary at my Memorial Service.

I understand that Merle didn't want people mourning his passing at his Memorial but rather wanted us to celebrate his life. A life Well Lived! We are not here to mourn the loss of Merle Deardorff but rather we are here to celebrate his life. But I for one

may mourn, just a little bit, if that's okay. Today this world is a lesser place without him and surely heaven is a better one for having him. I thought we would have him for a longer time.

Merle Lee Deardoff, 92, born on February 15th, 1919, in Happy Valley, Oregon, passed away on September 4th, 2011. He is survived by his daughters, Beverly Emmons, Merlynn Deardorff and Charlene Deardorff; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Clarence and Jeanne Palmer, sister-in-law Darlene Deardorff.; grandfather to Randy, Rod, Ben and Rex; and great-

grandfather to five.

Bev had told me there will be some sort of welcoming committee in heaven for Merle for he was preceded in death by brothers Don, Bert and Wayne Deardorff; brothers-in-law Harry and Don Sherman; and son-in-law Ron Emmons. No one could quite keep up with him.

If a stranger passed Merle in the street they would probably have taken little account of him -- just a slight, aging man -- but if they had looked closer they might have noticed how straight he stood for an aging man. If they had stood close to him, they would have noticed how alive his eyes were. If they had talked to him it would not have been long before Jesus was brought into the conversation.

Jesus Christ was Merle's Lord and Savior. Merle was my, Merle was our brother in the Lord. Pastor Glen and I were talking about him yesterday and we decided he was a true modern disciple. Up to the very end he would testify to everyone he met and he just could NOT understand how non-believers could not believe. Pastor Glenn told me he used to say with that steely passion in his voice, "I don't understand how they just don't get it. It's so simple!"

He was an extraordinary man from a time filled with extraordinary men. He went to war a boy and came home a man. Him and men like him, no doubt saved our world was we knew it, and they thought they were just doing their duty. He was with the 635th Company, Tank Destroyer Battalion, from 1941 until 1945. He survived many, many campaigns from storming Omaha

Beach to taking part in the Battle of the Bulge. He served a long time with General Patton. He went just about everywhere in Europe that Patton went. In a quiet moment he told me once that "Patton wasn't a very good General." I was going to ask him to expand on that conversation one day but I guess it will have to wait.

He came home in 1945. He and Lyndall Sherman were wed on November 23rd of that year and were married for 61 years when she died in 2007. Merle was always a builder, a fixer, a doer-upper. The Pearly Gates probably have new hinges

today! In 1945 Merle built a tractor to dig out the basement of a home they were building in Happy Valley, Oregon. He seemed to be building tractors of one sort or another all his life. In 1950 he built an 18 foot Cabin Cruiser. From 1964 through the early 1970's I understand he designed and built Trail Kats.

After God and his family, flying was Merle's next love. So much so that he built his own plane, a Stiltz Playmate. He built it and flew it from 1966 until 1979. He flew the girls around, sometimes down to Portland for the day. What a life. A life well lived if ever there was one. Eventually he sold his plane and if you wish, you can still see it -- it flies at Auburn Airport.

It was important to Merle that he always be in church on Sunday and that he always rested on a Sunday. He was a true man of God.

Merle worked for Boeing for 25 years. They moved him to Washington in 1957. He took an early retirement and that's when he really got busy! Merle and Lindey moved into a motor home in the mid-80's and hit the road! They always had wanted to travel and so they did. They eventually joined the MMApers. No matter where they were going or what they were doing, the two of them had missionary hearts. They loved to share the Gospel and spread seeds of light. Eventually they became a little road-weary and went to work at the Sea and Sand RV Park on the Oregon Coast. They worked one week on and they had one week off. They spent their week off with either Grandma Sherman or came north to visit their daughters and grandkids.

Around 2000 they sold the RV and settled in the Puyallup area. After Merle's wife died in 2007, he moved in with Ron and Bev and was there until God called him home. He was driving his car until January of this year and at the time of his death his Washington State Driver's License was still active -- a fact he was very proud about. We planned on visiting the Normandy Beaches next year, and we only half believed he wouldn't make it

(This is the first verse from a WWI poem entitled "To The Fallen." I just changed a word to two to fit the circumstances)

"He grows not old as we who are left grow old.

Age will not weary him nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember him."