Merlin Dale Staatz

Merlin Dale Staatz was born in Woodbine, Kansas, on June 14, 1926, flag day. He grew up on a farm along Lyons Creek in the Lyona valley where he enjoyed trapping, hunting, and fishing. He attended Woodbine High School. There he became interested in industrial arts. He played trombone in the school band.

Merlin placed his faith in Jesus as his Savior when he was 12 years old. An evangelist had preached at the Lyona United Methodist Church where he attended with his family. Merlin and his friend, Lee Barton, went forward at the altar call to acknowledge they had accepted Jesus as their Savior. Merlin’s commitment that night was the start of a spiritual journey that never wavered.

His favorite Bible verse was John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Merlin was drafted into the Army in 1944 following his high school graduation. He served in the Philippines during the last year of World War II, sleeping in foxholes and leading his unit as a scout as they tried to take back the island of Luzon, one hillside at a time. He lived with shrapnel in his neck from a grenade his entire life. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

A week after Japan surrendered, he was stationed near Tokyo. He guarded bombed-out factories and met many Japanese people who wanted to practice their English. “Big bomb good,” they often told him. “You alive, me alive.” Old men brought him apples, and elderly women on the train wanted to give him their seats. One evening, he climbed Mt. Fuji with a group of soldiers and watched the sunrise from the summit. He eventually re-enlisted and spent his remaining time at radar school in Florida, preparing to serve in the newly formed Amphib Engineers.

Merlin used his GI Bill to attend Emporia State Teacher’s College in Emporia, Kansas. He studied industrial arts and planned to become a high school teacher. He earned a master’s degree at Pittsburg State College in Kansas. He met his future wife, Clydene Lile, at Emporia. They married on June 2, 1951.

He taught at Netawaka, Kansas, and Strong City, Kansas, before moving to the Oregon Coast because of his hay fever. He and Clydene built a home overlooking Tillamook Bay in Garibaldi. Their three children, Ann, Wes and Shelly, were born in Oregon.

Merlin taught at Neahkahnie High School in Rockaway and at the junior high in Bay City. The family moved to Seattle, Washington, in 1962, the year of the world’s fair, so he could teach at King’s Garden High School, a Christian school. He finished his teaching career at Mountlake Christian School.

A new career in carpentry started for Merlin when his children were in college. He worked his final 15 years before retirement at the Medical-Dental Building in downtown Seattle where he remodeled doctor’s offices and did other finish work.

During the 63 years they lived in Seattle, Merlin and Clydene were active at Edgewood Baptist Church, Alderwood Manor Community Church and Open Door Baptist Church.

He was a member of the Seattle Area Mini Owners Association (SAMOA) and attended many car events with his daughter, Shelly. He enjoyed his large yard where he grew fruit and berries: apples, plums, pears, cherries, quince, figs, thornless blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and boysenberries.

In 1997, he inherited his family’s farm in Kansas, minus the stone house built in about 1867. He was the fourth owner. From 1997 until his death, he spent hundreds of happy hours in Kansas, clearing trees in his pasture, puttering with his 1969 GMC pickup that had been his father’s, and visiting with his Kansas relatives and friends.

Merlin and his daughter, Ann, enjoyed traveling together to places such as the Canadian Maritime Provinces, Quebec, New England and the South.

In his 90s, Merlin became involved with veterans’ organizations. He joined the Starr Sutherland Jr. Post No. 227 of the American Legion in the Seattle area and attended meetings and events regularly with his daughter, Shelly. Twice a month he attended Heroes Café, an informal gathering for veterans that includes a free meal, lots of visiting, occasional programs, information about veterans’ services and a mobile food bank. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by Congress, the highest civilian award in the United States. Merlin also received various medals: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, World War II Victory and a Combat Infantryman Badge, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon and an Honorable Service Lapel Button WW II. From the Philippine Government, Merlin received the World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. He is a member of the Bataan-Corregidor Survivors’ Association And Their Families. One Veterans’ Day, he was a grand marshal in a parade and rode in a 1957 Chevy two-door.

Merlin was a devoted husband and father. When his son, Wes, bought a 1963 MG 1100, Merlin helped him rebuild it. Merlin and Clydene camped with their children, took them on road trips to Kansas to visit the grandparents, bicycled, and hiked. Merlin attended all of his children’s piano recitals, accordion recitals, and school concerts, his tape recorder at his side. In his 50s, Merlin took ski lessons with his two daughters.

Merlin and Clydene made God the center their home. They prayed before meals and at bedtime with their children every night. They read the Bible together as a family and memorized Scripture verses. They attended church regularly.

Merlin died June 19, 2025, at 7:58 a.m., just three weeks after a trip to Kansas to visit his farm. He is survived by his children, Ann (Bob), Wes (Nancy), and Shelly; six grandchildren—David Rollins, James Rollins (Autumn), Phillip Rollins (Deborah), Elizabeth Zaccardi (Nick), Catherine Martinez (Francisco), and Sarah Medrano (Fabian); six great grandchildren; his sister, Joleen Dibben; and one niece and five nephews.

A memorial service will be held June 28, 11 a.m., at the Lyona United Methodist Church, 1850 Wolf Road, Junction City, Kansas, 66441, followed by interment and a luncheon. Remembrances may be given to the Lyona United Methodist Church. Arrangements are being handled by Yazel-Megli-Zeiner Funeral Home in Herington, Kansas.