Merle Meyer, 78, of Dubuque, died on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, after suffering a stroke days before. Merle died the way he spent his life: in the loving embrace of his family.

A prayer service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory, 3860 Asbury Road, followed by visitation until 7 p.m.

A Mass of Christian burial will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Resurrection Catholic Church. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery.

Merle was born Aug. 15, 1948, in Oelwein, Iowa, to Harold and Glendola (Knake) Meyer. He was raised in Strawberry Point, a place that always remained special in his heart, and graduated from Starmont High School in 1966. He got his Associate Degree from Hamilton Business College in Mason City.

He worked at Interstate Power Co./Alliant Energy for 45 years, retiring in the role of Senior Human Resources Systems Analyst. There Merle built great friendships, but the best part of his time at Interstate was the connection he made early on to Karen Gilligan, who would become the love of his life.

Merle and Karen wed May 31, 1980, at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dubuque, and built a life and home full of family, friends, faith and fun. Merle found much joy in family gatherings with his children and grandchildren around Karen’s home cooking.

A gentle soul of quiet wisdom, Merle was a man of great spirituality who could have a deep conversation about life’s purpose and God’s teaching as easily as he could discuss the Hawkeyes’ latest prospect or the Cubs’ pitching. Rooting on their teams was a passionate pastime in the Meyer household, where March Madness was a favorite time of year, and they were proud to Fly the W when the Cubbies sealed a victory.

Merle was a crafty euchre player who recalled which card each player lay on every trick. He and Karen played in a card club with lifelong friends for more than 40 years. He was also an excellent bowler, enjoying league play and mixed league along with Karen for years.

He was a man of deep faith and loved sharing scripture with his MESS guys group at Resurrection (and the coffee at HyVee after).

After his retirement, Karen and Merle began to travel more, seeing the country from Bangor to Tucson and Seattle to Fort Myers, and making fast friends along the way. They marveled in the beauty of Hawaii’s beaches and managed to get a perfect view of Denali. In the last decade-plus, they took on the world. Together they made memories from the Acropolis to the Alps, from the French Riveria to the Cliffs of Moher.

As heart issues presented a challenge to Merle in middle age, he had leaned into exercise, and he and Karen loved hiking and clocked thousands of miles on their matching Trek Madones – including several days of RAGBRAI three different years. For years Merle biked his age in miles on his birthday – even at 75. In the past few years, as Merle battled early term dementia, he still took long walks, often on the treadmill, pedaled the spin bike and lifted weights.

Through the challenges of the last several months, as day-to-day tasks grew more difficult, Merle was blessed with the most devoted and meticulous caregiver in Karen, who took on his care as a labor of love. He worried some about the day when his memory loss might deepen and worsen, and it’s a particular blessing that his sudden passing meant that the day of not recognizing a loved one never came.

Merle is survived by his beloved wife, Karen; daughters Sadie (John) Robbins and their children Stella, David and Jonah; Emily (Nate) Harold; and Megan (Matt) Gosse and their children Luna and River. From a previous marriage, Merle is also survived by sons Stephen (Leigh) Meyer and Mike (Elissa) Meyer and their families.

He is survived by sisters Linda Meyer and Ruth (Lonnie) Crabtree; and sisters-in-law Fran Meyer and Jackie (Tim) Trpkosh; as well as in-laws Susie Gilligan, John (Cindy) Gilligan, Brian (Linda) Gilligan, Amy Gilligan (Michael Shubatt), and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws, Bob and Ann Gilligan; brothers Ron Meyer and Wendell Meyer.

Special thanks to Hospice of Dubuque, UIHC for their amazing care in Merle’s final days, Dr. Ryan Stille for his longtime compassion care, PA Connor Golden, and Dr. Brian Loc.

In lieu of flowers, donations will be used to memorialize Merle at some of his favorite places.

A photo tribute can be viewed and condolences sent to the family by visiting Merlyn’s obituary at www.hskfhcares.com.