Merle Hayes

Merle Hayes, 76, of Marshalltown, died Tuesday, April 17, at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services for Merle will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 20,at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until service time. Burial will take place at Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown. Memorial contributions may be directed in Merles name to Bethel Grove Church. For further information or to send a condolence please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call (641) 844-1234. Merle was born April 29, 1935, in Linton, Indiana, the son of Orville and Mildred (Hill) Hayes. He was raised and educated in rural Sullivan, Indiana, on their family farm. Merle served his country as a member of the United States Army. He was stationed in Puerto Rico from 1954 1957. Following his honorable discharge, Merle returned home to Indiana for a short time before moving to Marshalltown where he met the love of his life Bessie Bogue. Merle and Bessie were married in Marshalltown on September 3, 1960. To this union three sons were born: Jeff, Mike and Kent. Throughout his lifetime, Merle worked at Iowa Power & Light, The Shell Station, Marshall Creamery and Ken Wise. During his thirty-two year career at Ken Wise, he started as a mechanic and was promoted to Service Manager for several years before becoming involved with the Warranty Department at the time of his retirement. During his free time, Merle enjoyed fishing, gardening, cooking and working in his yard. Merle was an active member of Bethel Grove Church where he was a strong spiritual leader and served as an Elder for many years. Above all he loved to spend time with his family. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother to his family and will be greatly missed. Merle is survived by his wife Bessie Hayes of Marshalltown, his three sons: Jeff (Tammy) Hayes of Marshalltown, Mike (Diane) Hayes of Liscomb, and Kent (Jill) Hayes of Albion, his seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, his three brothers: Mervin (Roma) Hayes of Indiana, Eddie (Janice) Hayes of Indiana and Sherrill (Linda) Hayes of Indiana and several nieces and nephews. Merle was preceded in death by his parents and his grandparents as well as aunts and uncles.