Merrill Spencer

Harv was born in Mankato, Minnesota on November 30,1928 and grew up on his parents' farm in Ceresco Township. Harv graduated with the Class of 1947 from Madelia High School, where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He then studied at South Dakota State College in Brookings and the University of Minnesota. Harv enlisted in the Army and served from 1951-52, attaining the rank of Sergeant. During that time he met Dorothy Cederberg and they were married on Jan 3, 1953 by her father at the Lutheran Church in Pennock, Minnesota. Harv and Dottie settled on a farm in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, now known as the Merrill H. Spencer Subdivision, and raised corn and cattle for the next 30 years. They provided a nurturing country home for their children. In addition to farming, Harv was Vice President of Balzer Manufacturing of Mountain Lake, Minnesota from 1975 to 1981, and Vice President of Golden Pantry Foods in Madelia from 1981 to 1990. A lifelong resident of the Madelia area, Harv was active in Trinity Lutheran Church and in the community, serving on the Madelia Hospital Board, the Rotary Club, and the Masons. He served on the board of directors of the Minnesota Epilepsy League and in recent years volunteered with the VITA program helping people prepare income tax. He was a charter member of the National Livestock Feeders and in 1974 successfully lobbied for guaranteed loans to farmers at hearings before the House Agriculture Committee in Washington, DC. Harv loved to travel and camp with his family, the highlight being a 1975 wilderness canoe trip on the Green River above the Grand Canyon. He was fascinated with history and foreign cultures, and trips with Dottie took them throughout the Americas, Europe, the Mideast, and the Pacific. Harv spent plenty of time with his beloved grandchildren, Jack, Frank, Lily, Meryl, Matt, Jessica, Shannon, and Will, and he hosted a "Cousins Week" get-together every summer. He is survived by his sister Hazel, his wife of 61 years Dorothy, and their children LeeAnne (Louis Ramaker), David (Jane), Merrill Scott (Lynn Indihar), Paul (Angela), Eric (Barbara), and Steven. He was preceded in death by daughter Janet, brothers Burton and Lorin, and parents Leon and Leilah. First Visitation 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Sturm Funeral Home, Pilgrim Chapel 303 E. Main St. Madelia, Minnesota, United States 56062 Second Visitation 9:30 am - 10:30 am Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Trinity Lutheran Church-Madelia 406 W. Main St. Madelia, Minnesota, United States 56062 Service Information 10:30 am Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Trinity Lutheran Church-Madelia 406 W. Main St. Madelia, Minnesota, United States 56062 Interment Information Riverside Cemetery, Madelia East, Co. Hwy 3, Flanders Ave. Madelia, Minnesota, United States 56062