Obituary

  Merle Langel, 33, of Williamsburg, formerly of Templeton, died in Marengo Memorial Hospital at Marengo about 7:30 a.m. Friday as result of a car-truck crash which occurred earlier that morning a half mile west of South Amana on U. S. Highway 6.
Requiem mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday in Sacred Heart Church, Templeton, by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. A. W. Behrens. Interment will be in the parish cemetery, with military rites by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3517 of Manning.
  Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll starting at 2 p.m. Sunday Msgr. Behrens will lead a parish rosary at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Other rosaries that day are set for 3 and 7:30 p.m.
  Injured in the crash, which happened in dense fog, were Gary Middlekauff, 20, of Millersburg; Sam Wade, 22, and Loren Von Ahsen, 41, both of Williamsburg. Middlekauff was driver of the car in which Langel and the other two were passengers.
  Highway Patrolman Robert Klein said the four men were en route to work at the Amana Refrigeration plant and their car had passed four other eastbound cars when they met a westbound Rock Island Motor Freight double-bottom trailer truck.
  Klein said the truck driver, Clifford James, 37, Des Moines, pulled his truck to the right as far as he could but the vehicle was sideswiped by the Middlekauff car, which went partly under the truck, back across the highway and into the south ditch.
  The Middlekauff car then clipped another driven by Ralph Kirkpatrick of Marengo, who escaped injury, as did James.
  The accident was blamed for another at the same place. A car driven by Bob Jones, 20, of Marengo, was hit from the rear by a car driven by Donald Hiner, 20, of Marengo. Both drivers escaped injury but the cars were damaged.
  Mr. Langel, son of Adolph and Gladys Reinart Langel, was born April 6, 1934, at Templeton and spent his young manhood there. He was in military service for two years. He was discharged in 1958. His marriage to Theresa Veit took place in St. Joseph Church, Carroll, Feb. 24, 1962, with the Rev. Eugene Schumacher officiating. They lived in Templeton for a short time and had lived at Williamsburg for about four years. He was a member of St. Mary's Church at Williamsburg.
  Surviving are his wife; two sons, David, 4, and Keith, 2; his father, of Templeton; and the following sisters and brothers: Mrs. Louis (Irene) Elscheid, Carroll; Vernon, Omaha; Dennis, Des Moines; Lois, Sioux City; Gene and Wayne, at home. His mother and one sister, Marilyn, preceded him in death.
(Carroll Daily Times Herald, Saturday, April 22, 1967, p. 1)

Merle Langel

  Templeton - Requiem mass for Merle Langel, 33, of Williamsburg, formerly of Templeton, was read at 10 a.m. Monday in Sacred Heart Church here by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. A. W. Behrens. The Rev. P. J. Nooney of Manning also was in the sanctuary.
  Pallbearers were Gerald Langel, Glenn Rupiper, Orval Schlichte, Edmund Bauer, Melvin Thielen and LaVern Langel. Interment was in Sacred Heart Cemetery, with military rites by the Manning V.F.W. Post. Arrangements were in charge of the Sharp Funeral Home, Carroll.
  Mr. Langel died April 21 in Marengo, the victim of a car-truck crash which occurred that morning one-half mile west of South Amana.
  The church was filled with relatives and friends, including representatives of Amana Refrigeration Company, where Mr. Langel was employed. He was a son of Adolph Langel, Templeton, and the late Mrs. Langel.
(Carroll Daily Times Herald, Tuesday, April 25, 1967, p. 10)