Merlin K. Eisenbarger

Funeral services for Merlin K. Eisenbarger, 71, Grove, Okla., will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Warren-McElwain Mortuary-Eudora Chapel. Burial will follow in the Eudora Cemetery.
Mr. Eisenbarger died Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, at St. John Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo.
He was born Sept. 14, 1939, in Martinsville, Mo., the son of Lloyd and Emma Hook Eisenbarger. He moved to Eudora with his family when he started sixth grade. He graduated from Eudora High School in 1958.
Mr. Eisenbarger and his wife moved from Eudora to Grove to live on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, in 1983. They later moved into town. He began his career as a meat cutter for Dillon Stores and then later was the owner of Merlin’s Hy-Klas Grocery and Merlin’s Ice Company in Eudora. After moving to Grove, Mr. Eisenbarger owned the Grove Beauty Supply for over 20 years.
He was a member of the First Christian Church in Grove. Mr. Eisenbarger was also a member of the Grove Moose Lodge, where he earned the highest honor, the Pilgrim Degree. While in Eudora, he was a member and past president of the Eudora Lions Club.
He married Patsy Kelley on June 21, 1958, in Eudora. She survives of the home.
Other survivors include two daughters, Pamela Landon, Neosho, Mo., and Penny Harrell and husband Mike, Lawrence; a brother, Bob and wife Dorothy, Pittsburg, Mo.; and four grandchildren, Cliffton Eisenbarger, Wendell Landon, Bradley Harrell and Maxwell Harrell.
He was preceded in death by a son, Merlin K. Jr., a sister, Betty Thomas, and his parents.
The family will greet friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Warren-McElwain Mortuary-Eudora Chapel.
The family suggests memorials to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to the charity of the donor’s choice, sent in care of the mortuary, 120 W. 13th St., Lawrence, KS 66044.
Online condolences may be sent at warrenmcelwain.com.