Stockman, Merle 'Tuck'

Merle “Tuck” Stockman, 93, of 1580 Upper Old Highway 6 Rd. NW, Oxford, died Monday, May 10, 2010, at Colonial Manor, Amana. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Lensing Funeral Service, Iowa City, where a parish rosary will be held at 3:30 p.m. and a parish vigil service at 8 p.m. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Oxford, with the Rev. Edmond Dunn officiating. Burial will follow in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Oxford.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Mount Calvary Cemetery Association or Reach for your Potential, Iowa City.

Merle was born Oct. 31, 1916, in rural Oxford, the son of William and Novello (Kaefring) Stockman. Merle graduated from Cosgrove High School in 1935 and married Marguerite Meade of rural Cosgrove on Jan. 20, 1943, at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Cosgrove. Together they farmed near Oxford for the next 65 years. Merle was a lifelong member of St. Mary's Church in Oxford.

He served on the Joint County School Board of Johnson County. (In 1931, Iowa had more than 9,000 one room country schools. In 1954, 3,500 country schools remained). He was also a member of the Johnson County Pony Association and the Iowa City Saddle Club. Tuck showed parade ponies and especially enjoyed a good game of euchre.

Survivors include his wife, Marguerite; his children, Jean (Robert) Ash of Roseville, Calif., Bill Stockman (Janet) of Oxford, Rick Stockman (Margaret) of Oxford, Kathleen Zimmerman of Cambridge, Patty (Dwight) Sann of Clarion, and Randy (Debbie) Stockman of Goddard, Kan.; 12 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by an infant son; his parents; his sister, Velva Vitosh; and two brothers, Donald and Orlo.

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