Merlon P. Kruckenberg, age 94 of Lowden, passed away on Thursday June 23, 2022 at the Clarence Nursing Home. Funeral services will be held on Monday June 27 at 3:00 P.M at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowden with Pastor Daniel Redhage officiating. Burial will follow with military honors in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 2:00 P.M until service time. Merlon was born on July 27, 1927 in Lowden, Iowa, the oldest of seven children of Paul and Selma (Licht) Kruckenberg. He was baptized into the Christian faith on August 21, 1927 and confirmed at Trinity on April 6, 1941 where he was a lifelong member and where he served on various boards. He served as treasurer on the board of directors for the formation and building of the Lutheran Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca near Solon, Iowa. He also served as a district president of the International Walther League and as an agent and president of Wheatland Mutual Insurance Co. Merlon attended Trinity Lutheran School for 8 years and graduated from Lowden High School in 1945. He farmed together with his brother Robert until moving to a new home in Lowden in late 2014. He enjoyed traveling and taking pictures, with several visits to Europe and eastern and western US states. In 1951 during the Korean War, he was called to serve in the US Army for two years and served in Korea, where he was attached to a Norwegian hospital unit near the battlefront of some of the most intense fighting of the war. He was a lifetime member of Lillis-Deerberg American Legion Post 366 of Lowden. Merlon is survived by brother Robert of Lowden, sister Lorna (Waldemar) Bergdolt of Perryville, MO; 10 nieces and nephews; and 18 great-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Norbert and George; sisters Roberta and Leanne and her husband Leonard Sellnau; and Bonnie, wife of brother Norbert. Memorials in Merlon's name may be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowden.