Merlin Holtz

Merlin Holtz, 85, passed away peacefully on Nov. 11, 2020 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City after a valiant battle with COVID-19.

There will be a private family service held for Merlin Holtz which will be live streamed on the Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home Facebook page at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Burial will be at Sunnyside Memory Gardens in rural Charles City, Iowa.

Merlin Wayne Holtz was born Sept. 25, 1935, to Bernadine (Scott) and John Holtz at the family’s home in Charles City, Iowa. He graduated from Charles City High School and showed a lot of mechanical talent from an early age.

Merlin married Bonnie Meyer on Jan. 24, 1953, in Charles City and the couple’s marriage ended in 1977. During their marriage, Merlin worked at Standard Battery, was a truck driver, managed the Boone Airport, was a pilot for the Black Hawk Hockey Team, and eventually took over his father’s business—Holtz Tiling.

Merlin was a soft-spoken man with a generous heart. His happy place was working in his machine shop. He enjoyed drinking a hot cup of coffee around a table in a restaurant with his friends. Merlin especially loved the “Oatmeal Gang” that met every Saturday morning for breakfast at Dugan’s in Floyd, and his prayer meeting group from Temple Baptist Church. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and working with the high school students from Lighthouse Academy on their woodworking projects. Merlin had a great sense of humor and loved to offer a helping hand wherever he could. He was especially proud of the horseless carriage he built and enjoyed giving people rides in it and driving it in 4th of July parades. Merlin also loved the Floyd Gospel Sing.

Merlin married two other women in his lifetime who he loved very much. He married Joan Helle (née Corbin) on March 25, 1978, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa and she passed away on Nov. 24, 2004. He then married Barb Kock (née Neir), 12 years later, on May 21, 2016, in Mahtomedi, Minnesota and she passed away on Nov. 8, 2019. Both of these marriages meant a lot to Merlin and he always remembered his wives fondly.

Living family members include his two sons: Robert (Pam) Holtz of Charlotte, North Carolina and Kenneth Holtz (Lisa) of Moorhead; two daughters: Dixie (Paul) Phillips of Floyd and Kim (Jim) Winters of Bartlesville, Oklahoma; 10 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; his brother, David (Betty) Holtz of Charles City; along with numerous nieces, nephews, other family members and many friends.

Merlin was preceded in death by two brothers; his mother and father; a granddaughter; wife, Joan; and wife, Barb.

Merlin loved the students of Lighthouse Academy, and the family would appreciate memorials to Lighthouse Academy in lieu of flowers.

Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home, (641) 228-2323, 1205 South Main Street, Charles City, Iowa 50616 is in charge of local arrangements. Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall for the family at www.hauserfh.com.