Daniel Mertens

WEST POINT ? Daniel Joseph Mertens, 73, of rural Salem, died Saturday, July 4, 2015, as the result of a farm accident at his home.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 8, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton, with the Rev. Bruce DeRammelaere as the celebrant. Burial was at the St. John?s Cemetery in Houghton with full military rites performed by the Henry County Honor Guard. Visitation was from 2 to 8 p.m., Tuesday at the church, with a Knights of Columbus rosary at 3 p.m. and a Christian wake service at 7 p.m. Memorials may be made to Houghton Fire Rescue or St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Schmitz-Lynk Funeral Home in West Point assisted the family with arrangements.

Mr. Mertens was born Dec. 20, 1941, near Salem, the son of Christian and Mary (Neuweg) Mertens. He married Christine Zihlman on March 22, 1969, in Mount Pleasant. The couple later divorced. He married Carole Houseal in 1998. The couple later divorced.

He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton. He was a 1960 graduate of St. John?s High School in Houghton. He was a lifelong farmer on the farm where he was born and raised. He owned and operated Dan?s County Auto. He served in the Army Reserve. He was a member of the Houghton Knights of Columbus Council 3905. He enjoyed watching NASCAR races, spending time with his children and grandchildren, checking on his crops and farm, going to farm machinery auctions, and visiting and teasing his friends and those he did business with. He also enjoyed old Ford and Lexus cars.

Surviving are four sons, Mike Mertens and wife Niki of Mount Pleasant, Tony Mertens and Tammy Wellington of Salem, Chad and Denise Stambaugh of Winfield, and Marty Mertens and wife Jenny of Salem; one daughter, Lynn Grelk and husband Joe of Crawfordsville; 12 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; four brothers, Francis Mertens of Sacramento, Calif., Alfred ?Ike? Mertens and wife Sherri of St. Paul, Paul Mertens of Fort Madison, and John Mertens of Salem; and two sisters, Harriet Coster of Sacramento, Calif., and Jeanne Kos and husband Gary of Washington.

He was preceded in death by his parents.