Rev. Merle Allison Dunn

Rev. Merle Allison Dunn, 93, died at Seasons Hospice on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Merle was born October 7, 1919, in a farmhouse near Kidder, South Dakota. He was the fourth son born to Rev. Fred and Bertha Chapin Dunn. He resided with his family in Groton, White Rock, and Kellerton, South Dakota. At Kellerton he attended a rural school, for the 6th, 7th and 8th grades. His family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1933 where Merle graduated from Washington High School in 1937. He took his senior year of high school and his first year of college at the same time and graduated with a B.S. Degree from Sioux Falls College in 1940. During high school and college he worked for the Sioux Falls Daily Argus Leader newspaper. He lettered in track at Sioux Falls College, participated in plays, and was president of the student body his senior year. Following graduation from college, Merle enrolled at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville, Illinois and graduated in 1943 with a Master of Divinity degree. Merle met his future wife, Jean Larson, in 1940 when his father became pastor of the Evangelical Church in Watertown, South Dakota. Merle and Jean were married in Watertown on May 7, 1944. Rev. Dunn served churches in Ramona and Twin Brooks, South Dakota, Whittaker, Michigan, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester, Minnesota. He completed additional graduate work at the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota and received his M.A. Degree in 1948 from the University of Michigan. He was a teaching fellow at the University of Michigan, Chairman of the English Department at Westmar College, LeMars, Iowa and a faculty member in the Department of Religion at North Central College, Naperville, Illinois. During World War II, to assist in the teacher shortage in Ramona, South Dakota, Merle and the local priest taught in the high school in conjunction with their pastoral duties. In 1958, Pastor Dunn became Senior Pastor of Homestead Evangelical United Brethren Church (now Homestead United Methodist Church) in Rochester, Minnesota. During those years he served as a mentor for five seminarians from the Evangelical Theological Seminary. He served Homestead Church for twenty-four years before he retired in 1982. The Dunns continued living in Rochester after retirement and joined the fellowship of Christ United Methodist Church. Rev. Dunn was a delegate to the Church Conferences in Chicago, Illinois, that voted in favor of the union of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church and the former Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church. He was also a delegate to the next two General Conferences held in Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. He represented all of the former E.U.B. Clergy in the United States at the Uniting Ceremony in Dallas in 1968. He served on numerous Annual and General Conference boards and committees. Rev. Dunn served twice as president of the Ministerial Association of Rochester, Chairman of the Education Committee of Downtown Kiwanis, the Mayor's appointee on the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Senior Citizens' Committee of Greater Rochester, and the Human Rights Committee. He participated in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging for many years. He was also a member of the Higher Education Committee of Rochester, the Volunteers in Education Committee, and the Day Makers Kiwanis Club. In 2007 Merle received the George E. Hixson Fellowship Award from the Kiwanis Day Makers Club. In retirement, Rev. Dunn enjoyed oil painting, writing eight books, composing poetry, accepting interim pastorates and speaking engagements, traveling, fishing, walking, reading, visiting family, and spending numerous winters in Ventura, California and Mesa, Arizona. Rev. Dunn was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, a caring and kind pastor, a friend to many, and a good neighbor. He is survived by his wife, Jean; daughter, Joan Kurth (Paul, Ph.D.) Naperville, IL; son, Paul Dunn, Ph.D., Santa Rosa, CA; grandchildren, Amber Lamoreaux (Shane), Lehi, Utah; Samuel Jin Cheol Dunn, Santa Barbara, CA; Nathan Dunn, Santa Rosa, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Marcia Jean Dunn (1977); parents, Rev. Fred and Bertha Dunn; brothers, Rev. Ralph Dunn, Rev. Robert Dunn, Olin Dunn; and grandparents, Rev. Frank and Martha Dunn, and Frank and Gusta Chapin. Rev. Dunn's body was donated to the Mayo Clinic Department of Anatomy for medical research. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated for any of the following Rochester United Methodist Churches: Christ, Homestead, Evangel, Bethany, or other preferred causes. A memorial service will be held 11:00AM Saturday, November 10, 2012 at Christ United Methodist Church 400 5th Ave. SW, Rochester, MN 55902 with the Rev. Michael Wuehler officiating. Visitation will be held from 9:30AM until time of service at the church. Arrangements entrusted to Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes. To share a condolence or special memory, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com