Merle E. Wood

Merle Evelyn Wood, 100, of Owatonna, Minn., died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 at the Owatonna Hospital.

Visitation will be at Michaelson Funeral Home, Owatonna, on Wednesday, March 2, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.  Memorial services will be held March 2, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at Michaelson Funeral Home with Patti Meyer officiating.  Interment will be in the Clear Lake Cemetery, Clear Lake.

Merle was born May 13, 1915, in Sheldon, Iowa, the daughter of Murray and Flora (DeGroot) Ferguson. She graduated from Sheldon High School in 1933. Merle married Thomas Duff Wood in Chicago, Ill. in 1936 and they moved to Clear Lake,  where they resided for many years.

She and her husband Tom were the first scout leaders in Clear Lake and she was the summer recreation director there. Their children, Murrae, Richard, Nancy, Linnie, and Flora Beth were all born while in Clear Lake. While living in Clear Lake, Merle won the grand prize for selling the most subscriptions to the Clear Lake Paper. It was a 1950 Ford vehicle.

Because Tom was a resident engineer they lived in many different states and Merle was very active in all the communities in which they lived. They lived in New Salem, N.D. where Merle started the first Girl Scout troop. They then moved to St. Paul, Minn. where Merle worked in the business office of Children’s Hospital and later she worked in the business office of Grayco. There were a few more moves before finally settling in Owatonna upon retirement.

Through her years, she was very active in Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, VFW Auxiliary, AmVets, WRC, Civil League, Red Cross Bloodmobile, and the Garden Club in Rochester. She was a lifetime member of the Eastern Star. She was a former board member of the Steele County Republican Party, and also served as an election judge for many years in Owatonna.  She volunteered at the Owatonna Hospital, Healthy Seniors and Senior Place. She belonged to two card clubs while in Owatonna and enjoyed keeping active.

Merle enjoyed fishing, dancing, playing cards, the Minnesota Twins and keeping in touch with all of her many extended family members. She often was heard to say she “had a good life.” She enjoyed people and always cared about how everyone was doing.  She will be remembered for her sharp mind and good sense of humor.  She will be missed by many.

She is survived by her daughters, Murrae (Paul) Moynihan, of Las Vegas, Nev., Nancy (Tom) Carney, of Tacoma, Wash., Flora Beth (Curtis) Clarke, of Minneapolis, Minn.; son, Richard (Marilyn) Wood, of Fuquay Varina, N.C.; 11 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Wood; daughter, Linnie May Steere; siblings, Beulah, Roy, Delmar, Anna, Donald, Delores and Kenneth.