Saratoga Springs, NY- Merle Bonthuis passed away in his Saratoga Springs home at the age of 98.  Merle was the second oldest of six children born to Peter and Emma Bonthuis in Rock Valley, Iowa and raised in the Dutch community of Orange City, IA.  Following high school years filled with academic, athletic, and musical endeavors including playing a mean trombone and singing in an award-winning quartet, Merle enrolled in a nearby community college while waiting to enlist in the Navy when he turned 18.  He credited his experience in World War II as an electrician's mate aboard the U.S.S. Liddle with teaching him to execute responsibilities with a positive attitude under less than ideal conditions.  Entering Iowa State University on the GI Bill, Merle majored in Industrial Economics and was a member of Sigma Chi.  As general manager of VEISHEA at Iowa State, then considered the largest student-run college event in the country, Merle traveled to the White House for a meeting with Sigma Chi brother and White House Press Secretary Charlie Ross with the goal of encouraging President Truman's attendance at the event.  Truman did attend the torch lighting and, as Merle told the story, the president was pleased to join him on the stage.

Following graduation, Merle enjoyed a forty-year career with General Electric in Chicago, IL, Schenectady, NY and Fairfield, CT.  His Navy experience revealed itself in his attitude as a manager which was, by his own telling, to quit complaining and find a solution.  Merle traveled the world in his capacity as GE Manager of Corporate Identity before retiring at age 65.

Merle met Marguerite (Margo) Super at the nursery school she directed when visiting his sister Sally who was a teacher at the school.  A letter writing romance commenced, and the two were engaged on their fifth date in Lake Placid, NY and married two months later in LaGrange, IL.  Their love never wavered through 59 years of marriage during which time they lived in the Schenectady Stockade, Niskayuna, NY, Westport, CT, and Saratoga Springs, NY.  Daughters Martha and Sara were born in Schenectady, and Merle devoted himself to being a loving, generous dad and grandfather.

Merle's transition to life without Margo, who died in 2015, was eased over time by visits with daughters Martha and Sara and their families, his remarkably kind and generous community of friends in the neighborhood, and the camaraderie and purpose he experienced as a member of the Saratoga Springs Lions Club.  Merle's interest in the Lions Club was initiated when volunteers provided transportation for him following his first cornea transplant.  He managed low vision throughout his adult life, and enjoyed helping others through the collection and sorting of used eyeglasses.

In addition to his commitment to family, Merle pursued interests in music, art, and sport through service and personal practice.  He served on the boards of the Schenectady Community Concerts and Schenectady Museum, and was a volunteer at the Saratoga Springs Art Center.  Frequent attendees at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Merle and Margo also shared a love of art museums and craft fairs and supported one another's artistic pursuits of stained glass and collage, respectively.  They both were active members of the Schenectady Curling Club, and later became fans of various professional sports.  In later years, Merle mastered the remote as he flipped from one sport to another on tv in the evenings and critiqued performances.

Merle is survived by his sister Carol Bigler, whose visits to Saratoga with her husband Bob were highly anticipated and enjoyed, and his loving family: Martha, John, and Alexis Sutyak, Sara Bonthuis and Pat Sullivan.

Relatives and friends are invited to call from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 3, 2024 at the William J. Burke & Sons/ Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.  Merle will be laid to rest with his late wife Margo at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Merle would be welcomed by the Saratoga Springs Lions Foundation, P.O. Box 759, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.