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Merlin Jay (Merk) Boven age 85 passed away on September 17, 2023, at his home in Rockford, MI. The youngest child, Merk, was born on a Saturday on the Boven family farm at Seven Mile Road near Falmouth, MI, on November 27, 1937, to the late Charley and Jennie (Comdure) Boven. He married Nancy Lee Dykhouse on July 20, 1965. They enjoyed 58 years of marriage. His first job as a teenager was driving tractor for the farmers in the area during planting and haying times. At age 17 he went to work at VANS pumping gas and doing mechanical work. While there he attended Ferris College taking an 8-week course in mechanics. He then worked for Peter Schierbeek as a mason tender working side by side with Nancy’s father Peter Dykhouse. On October 19, 1961, he was inducted into the US Army. He did his tour in Germany and was honorably discharged on September 28, 1963. Returning home, he found work at Dexter Lock in Grand Rapids, MI as a hand buffer. He worked there for 18 years, and then went to work at Electro Chemical Finishing, completing 20 years. He retired in April of 2003. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, snowmobiling, hunting and fishing, football, country music, watching NASCAR, old westerns, game shows, and being in the woods in the quiet of the morning. He found his greatest joy with family and friends and had a joke for everything. He loved animals, especially dogs and cats. They were an important part of his life and he often said,” people should take lessons from animals.” Merk was a member of the Rockford American Legion Post 0102, the NRA, AARP, and Farm Bureau. He is survived by his wife; Nancy, children; Lee Ann (Todd) Kolasa, Amy (Tomas) Hansen, and Tom (Kelly) Baldwin, grandchildren; Katie (Josh) Cross, Brianna (Ben) Wilson, Jenny Start, Dylan (Dani) Kolasa, Samantha Brown, and Shelby Baldwin, five great grandchildren, sister; Susan VanDrie, life-long friend; Duane Dick, in-laws; Pete and Mary Dykhouse, Charles Dykhouse, Margaret DeRuiter, Martha Nelson, Linda Dykhouse and Grace Dykhouse. He was preceded in death by; parents, brother; Alvin (Pork) Boven and friend Marsha VanDrie, sister; Margaret Kortman, son; Terry Baldwin, life-long friend; Carl Dick, father-in-law and mother-in-law; Peter and Catherine Dykhouse, in-laws; John VanDrie, Harvey Kortman, Henry Dykhouse, Anna (Richard) Miller, Mildred (Joe) Decator, and Sandy Dykhouse, special friends; Paul Dykhouse (in-law), Glenn DeRuiter (in-law) and David Jenema (second cousin) and a niece Sunday Ann Crosslan. Funeral Services will be held at the Prosper Christian Reformed Church in Falmouth, MI, on September 30, 2023, at 1:00pm with Rev. Steve Boven officiating. Visitation will be at the Prosper Christian Reformed Church from 11:00am to 1:00pm on the 30th . The burial with military honors will be in the Falmouth Cemetery. Memorial Contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. The Burkholder Family Funeral Home in McBain is handling arrangements and thoughts and prayers may be made at www.burkholderfunerals.com