Merrill (Leff) E. Leffler, 83, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, passed away suddenly on August 13, 2012 at his home.
The family will greet friends from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 18, at the Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Family interment services will take place at a later date. Memorials may be directed at the discretion of the donor.
He is survived by his wife Jody, son Merrill D. (Theresa), Fort Dodge; granddaughters, Jessica, Alexandria and Macenzie; his sisters, Beryl Martin, Fort Dodge and Donna Losh, Peoria, Arizona. Uncle Merrill is also survived by many nieces and nephews who adored him. Merrill was preceded in death by his parents Helen and Adam and brother Russ.
Merrill E. Leffler, the son of Adam and Helen (Hughes) Leffler, was born July 25, 1929 in Livermore, Iowa. He lived in Webster City a short time and then moved to Fort Dodge in 1940. Merrill graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 1947. He attended Northwestern University and was activated into the Air Guard. He returned to Fort Dodge in 1953. Merrill was an outstanding athlete for Fort Dodge and played football at Northwestern and for the Air Guard. In 1957, Merrill was united in marriage to Jo Ann (Jody) Williams in Fort Dodge. Merrill worked for Hamms Brewing Co., United Securities and was a long time Broker-Realtor in Fort Dodge.
Merrill was an avid Hawkeye fan and was a woodworker, spending most of retirement in his shop making items ranging from a canoe to jewelry boxes. Merrill enjoyed his walks; many people talk about the big guy with a stick walking north of town. Leff enjoyed his daily trip around town to chat with his friends at Daniel Tire, Howards Body Shop and the Fort Dodge Coin & Stamp Shop as well as many others. Merrill's pride and joy were his three granddaughters. He enjoyed attending all their events, and spending hours in his work shop building items for them. Grandpa always had to build three of everything.