Merrill R. Vanderhoof

Merrill R. Vanderhoof, age 88, of Brillion, passed away on April 18, 2016 at Brillion Westhaven.

Merrill was born on September 16, 1927, in Milwaukee, son of the late Peter and Beulah (Behnke) Vanderhoof.  He was a graduate of Plymouth High School and went on to further his education at Manitowoc Technical College.  Merrill met his wife Dolores while she was attending college in La Crosse. The couple was married on June 28, 1952, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in West Salem.  She preceded him in death on December 16, 2015.   Merrill was employed at the Brillion Iron Works from 1950 until his retirement in 1987.  He was interested in all aspects of sports: playing and watching.  He boxed, played hockey, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, and he bowled.  He also coached youth basketball with Don Sommers for many years.  Merrill was a member and past president of the Brillion Area JayCees and a member of Holy Family Catholic Church.  He was a generous man and enjoyed traveling with Dolores and taking guests out to dinner.  He truly loved spending time with family and friends, and always enjoyed sharing stories about his life experiences with the grandkids and great grandkids .

Merrill is survived by his son and daughter-in-law: Jay and Shelley of Appleton; grandsons and granddaughters-in-law and their families: Collin & Tiffany and their children: Noah, Micah, and Grace, Justin & Emily and their children: Madelyn, Noelle, and Hannah, and Brandon & Jill and their children: Blake, Natalie, and Alyssa; one step sister: Mary Duerst; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Richard and Mary Storandt; an AFS son: Jaime Gonzalez and his family in Santiago, Chile, nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his step father: Max Prabst, his father-in-law and mother-in-law: Clifton and Alice (Johnson) Storandt, one sister and brother-in-law: Kay and Howard Keller, one step brother-in-law: Dean Duerst, and other relatives.

Funeral Service will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2016 at the Wieting Funeral Home, 215 S. Main St. in Brillion.  Officiating will be Deacon Steve Letourneaux.  Burial will take place in Brillion Community Cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 12:45 p.m.

Online condolences may be made.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at Brillion Westhaven for their kind and compassionate care for both Merrill and Dolores over the last 3 and a half years.