Meet your neighbor: Merle Unkrich

Merle Unkrich has lived in the same home located at 1062 James for the past 46 years. He built it in 1978. It is a half mile up the road from his home place where he was born, raised and lived until moving to his current location.

A lifelong farmer, Merle Unkrich only left the farm for one summer while he was in college when he went to Oregon to work in a sawmill and again when he spent two years in Germany serving in the Korean War.

Merle was born September 12th, 1932, and just recently celebrated his 92nd birthday. His parents were Harold and Grace (Canby) Unkrich, and he had two older siblings, George and Clarence, both deceased. He graduated from Olds High School and is a 1954 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan where he was able to graduate in 3.5 years by taking some summer classes. Merle was a history major and was qualified to teach, but farming was his career of choice.

“I never did teach,” he said.

Several years later, Merle was awarded an honorary Doctor’s Degree from IWC.

“Tom Visack received one on the same day,” Merle said.

A degree was not the only thing Merle acquired at IWC. It was there that he met his future wife, Betty Arlene Wait from Oelwein, Iowa who was also attending IWC. They were married on March 13, 1953, in the Olds Church. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary before Betty passed away on September 28, 2014.

When asked if he had the power to change one thing what would it be, Merle answered, “That my wife Betty was still alive and with me.”

Following his college career, Merle joined the army and spent 1954 and 1955 in Germany during the Korean War before returning home where he continued to farm. Betty joined Merle in Germany where they lived until Merle was honorably discharged.

While they were living in Germany, they became aware of the conditions some of the Korean orphans were living in. Back in the States, they decided to adopt a Korean girl. First came 2.5-year-old Micki and a year later 5-year-old Amy.

When Betty and Merle decided to adopt the second time, Merle was fine with it, but he didn’t want to deal with diapers. That was no problem as Micki was potty trained when she arrived, and 5-year-old Amy was, too. Not one dirty diaper ever resulted from their adoptions!

Merle and Betty had four children: Merle Ann Unkrich, Mediapolis, Iowa, Wally Unkrich, 1954 105th Street, Winfield, Iowa (on the farm), Amy Philipp, Green Bay Wisconsin and Micki Unkrich, Thousand Oaks, California. He is the grandfather of twelve. Both Amy and Micki were born in Korea. They are not biological sisters and were adopted one year apart. When asked how their other children adapted to their new siblings, Merle replied, “Just fine. We never had any problems with them being accepted into our family,” adding that even his father, who was a bit skeptical about the having new additions to the family, was smitten when 2.5-year-old Micki ran to him with arms outstretched shouting, “Umpa.”

One of the things Merle said he wished he had done was, ”adopt more children,” adding, “They been really good to me.” Today, Micki is a successful lawyer. For Amy, painting is one of her many talents.

“She can do anything she puts her mind to,” said Merle. It is no secret that Merle is proud of all of his children and what they have accomplished.

When Merle wasn’t down on the farm he traveled extensively. Besides his stint in Germany, he has been to England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Iceland, Alaska, Chile, Panama Canal, Hawaii, Japan and Korea.

Merle offered to give Amy and Micki a trip to their homeland as a graduation gift, but their class was going on a trip to Europe at that time and they chose to go with their classmates. A few years later, Merle arranged a visit to Korea with them.

When asked if there was still something on his bucket list, Merle said, “I would like to go down the east side of South America around the cape,” but his enthusiasm was damped when he checked out the cost: $17,000 for two. He is rethinking his desire to go. At present, when he is not at home, his favorite hangout is his condo at the Ozarks in Missouri where he visits several times a year.

Merle said two of his most memorable life experiences were: “My 90th birthday when my kids threw me a party, and celebrating my 65th wedding anniversary.” Following the stock market and farming are two of his major interests along with his passion for travel.

“I am grateful for my health and my family,” Merle said, adding that his Dad was the most influential person in his life. When asked if he has a pet peeve, he said, “I do not like being around people who are smoking or chewing tobacco.”

When Merle was asked to share some of the life lessons he has learned or experienced, Merle didn’t hesitate.

“Be honest,” he said.

Merle learned this from personal experience, sharing an experience he had when he was a youth.

“I knowingly took advantage of a friend, and that has bothered me for years. I tried to find him to make amends, but never caught up with him. It is not something I’m proud of,” he said.

Through the decades, Merle has seen many changes, many in the area of farm equipment.

“My Dad purchased a 70 gas John Deere for me in 1953, it cost $2,850. Today, tractors cost somewhere between $50,000 up to as high as $900,000 to $1.1 million for the biggest and best 2025 John Deere.”

In 1955, Merle’s Dad purchased a combine for $5,500. Today it isn’t uncommon for combines to sell for a million dollars.

“I started out picking corn by hand. I remember my folks putting me up front in the wagon.“

Today, hundreds of acres of corn can be picked in a day with combines that pick eight rows at a time. The method of raising hogs has also undergone vast changes, from pastures with small wooden shelters where hogs could enjoy some freedom before becoming bacon to being raised in small pens inside large confinement buildings. These are just a few of the changes Merle has not only witnessed but adjusted to during his decades farming.

Besides being honest, Merle advises young farmers to get involved in their communities.

“We had wonderful neighbors,” said Merle, citing the time his involvement in an elevator went south through no fault of his own.

Merle was especially grateful for the folks who stuck by him and helped him weather the storm. From that experience, Merle also advises young farmers to not get involved in the elevator business!

“Don’t sell the farmland,” is a phrase his family members have heard more than once. It has been handed down and added on to for decades, and Merle wants to keep it in the family. A grandson is currently engaged in farming the land and hopefully there will be a farmer in the following generations of Unkriches.

Something else Merle does not want to see close is the Olds church.

“Things just seem to go better when you go to church,” said Merle, who has attended the same church since he was born. Most of his family events were held there, from baptisms to funerals, most of the milestones in Merle’s life were held in the little church in Olds. “I want my funeral to be held there too,” said Merle, who is dedicated to keeping the church alive.

When Merle was asked to share some major changes he has witnessed in the world, he answered without hesitation, “Politics and taxes!” citing the $100 per acre tax on farmground.

Another things Merle said he doesn’t understand is why kids want to shoot each other. He believes it starts with parents who fail to discipline their children and/or give in to their demands.

“Kids get too much money they don’t appreciate,” said Merle.

Merle admits lying awake sometimes trying to figure out how to divide his assets equally among his children.

“I want to be fair,” he said.

When asked to sum up his life, both the pros and cons, Merle said he really had no complaints.

”I have had a good life, I have my health, my mind still works, I can live comfortably, and I am grateful for my family and I was blessed with a wonderful wife. The only thing I might have done differently, in addition to adopting more children, I might have purchased more land,” he said.

Merle is a man content with what life dealt him.