Karin Merkert Obituary

Merkert
KARIN THIEM MERKERT
February 19, 1927 March 12, 2019
Karin Merkert (nee Karin Inger Lekstrom) passed away March 12, 2019 at the age of 92, in Colorado Springs. Born February 19, 1927 to Swedish immigrants, Axel and Ingeborg Lekstrom, she was raised in Ironton, MN. Karin was a 1948 graduate of Ancker Hospital School of Nursing in St. Paul, MN. There she met and married Dr. Chester E. Thiem. They settled in Mankato, MN in 1952 and raised their four children. She returned to school, receiving an M.A. in History in 1979 from Mankato State University. Widowed in 1973, Karin married Dr. George L. Merkert in 1979 and moved to Colorado Springs.
Raised near the iron range in northern Minnesota, she escaped to the wider world listening to Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. She would eventually attend the Met's annual tour in Minneapolis. She loved entertaining and hosting holiday meals for extended family. It was hard to know what she preferred-the preparation or the cleaning up afterward. She had a passion for history and encouraged the pursuit of higher education. She enjoyed traveling the world but loved hiking the trails of Colorado and the Southwest with her lady hiking club.
Karin was active as a docent at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum and belonged to the Blue Earth County and Minnesota Historical Societies. She was an enthusiastic golfer and skier but stayed fit walking her beloved poodles and shepherds. Karin suffered from Alzheimer's disease later in life, and her family wishes to acknowledge her many dedicated care givers.
Mrs. Merkert is survived by her four children, Christopher (Patti) Thiem, Lisa Thiem (Bryan) Cullivan, Nicholas (Ann) Thiem, and Frederick Thiem; three grandchildren, Amy Cullivan (Brian) Czekala, Jared Cullivan, and Brendan Thiem; four great-grandchildren, Michael, Zachary, Ava and Alexander Czekala; Dr. Merkert's four sons, George, Craig, Whitney and Jon; Merkert grandchildren, Margaux, Molly Rose and My Linh; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Chester E Thiem in 1973, her brother, Lennart Lekstrom in 2011 and her second husband, George L. Merkert Jr. in 2014.
The Family plans a memorial service at First Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs (1515 N. Cascade Ave.) on Sat. June 1, at 3:00 pm. Reception to follow immediately at The Colorado Springs Country Club (3333 Templeton Gap Rd). Memorials to the Ecumenical Social Ministries in care of First Lutheran Church.