Mr. Merle R Conrad's Obituary
Merle Roth Conrad, 86, passed away October 29, 2017. He was born December 18, 1930 in Wayland, Iowa to the late William and Mabel (Roth) Conrad.
Left to cherish his memory are daughters, Robin McKenzie and her husband Dickie of Tallahassee, Florida; Melody Moon of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; Ellen Grenier and her husband Lucky of Sarasota, Florida; sons, Earles Conrad and Merlyn Conrad both of Tallahassee, Florida; 28 grandchildren; 61 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Lucille Wagler, Kalona, Iowa; Pauline Hoffman, Sun City, Arizona; Emma Woodward, Canon City, Colorado; brothers, Russell Conrad, Branson, Missouri; and Ernest Conrad, Adair, Oklahoma.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Verla; son, Verle; granddaughter, Emma Lee Graber; grandson Kyrie Conrad Sexton; and sister, Arlene Leichty.
He and his family came to Sarasota in 1970 from Wayland, Iowa and were members at Bethel Mennonite Church. Merle was the owner/operator of Conrad’s Backhoe Service and was well-known for his precision with the backhoe. Many knew him by his CB handle, the Backhoe Man. He was a good provider and taught his work ethic to his children. Merle and Verla enjoyed bluegrass and southern gospel music and took many trips in their RV to music festivals. They also enjoyed going to flea markets and garage sales. Merle’s favorite pastime was playing cards or dominoes. He loved his grandchildren and looked forward to their visits. Verla was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2003 and Merle was her caregiver until her death in August 2014.
Services will be hosted at Bethel Mennonite Church in Sarasota on Friday November 3rd. Viewing/Visitation held from 9:00 to 10:30, funeral service at 10:30 with interment to follow at Bethel Mennonite Church Cemetery.
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