Merlin Leroy Tjaden

Merlin Tjaden, age 72 of Sibley, IA died Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 at Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley, IA. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Feb. 17th at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Sibley, IA, with Father John Vakulskas as Celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Andrews Cemetery in Sibley. Visitation will be Monday, Feb. 16th from 2:00 to 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Jurrens Funeral Home of Sibley. Also, there will be a 7:30 PM Parish Wake service at the funeral home Monday evening. Merlin LeRoy Tjaden was born July 16, 1936 near Ocheyedan, Iowa, the son of Henry and Florence (Pedley) Tjaden. He was raised near Harris, Iowa and attended Harris Community Schools, graduating from Harris High School in 1954. He entered the National Guard and served six years. He was united in marriage to Joyce Houwen on September 7, 1957 at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Sibley, IA. Together they lived in Sibley until 1959, when they moved to Montevideo, MN and returned to Sibley in 1960. He worked for 33 years as a mechanic at Mauch Oil in Sibley, IA and owned and operated Tjaden Laundromat from 1979 to 1995. He then began working in maintenance department at International Paper in Sibley, until retiring in 2004. He was a member of St. Andrews Catholic Church in Sibley, Kiwanis and the Sportsmans Club. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, watching wildlife, puzzles, and square-dancing with his wife, Joyce. In 2007 Merlin and Joyce, along with family celebrated the couples 50th Wedding Anniversary. Merlin also enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren and going on hunting adventures. His family remembers Merlin as a good man who had a sense of humor and a man who could fix just about anything. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Tjaden of Sibley, IA; six children, Dan (Terri) Tjaden of Sioux Falls, SD, Ken Bubba (Sharalyn) Tjaden of Sibley, IA, Janet (Scott) Johnson of Sioux Falls, SD, Daryl (Sharon) Tjaden of Sibley, IA, Robert (Stephanie) Tjaden of Seattle, WA and Ron Tjaden of Sibley, IA; twelve grandchildren, Adam Tjaden, Dani Tjaden, Jackie Tjaden, Heather Tjaden, Eric (Lisa) Johnson, Jill Johnson, Emily (Todd) Gruis, Nick Tjaden, Jessica Tjaden, Stephan (Michelle) Tjaden, Matthew Tjaden, Kari Tjaden and one great-grandson, Evan Gruis; two brothers, Don Tjaden of Tuscan, AZ and Harold (Margaret) Tjaden of Kansas City, KS. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Florence Tjaden.