Merlin Kenneth Fette

MERLIN KENNETH FETTE, age 72, of Mankato passed away on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at the St. Mary’s Campus of Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester. 

Born on June 24, 1951 in Waseca, Merlin was the son of Kenneth and Esther (Krenke) Fette. He attended and graduated from Waseca High School with the class of 1970. Following his education, he worked at Birdseye. On August 13, 1977, he was united in marriage to Lori Possin at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Wells. They welcomed two children, Derek and Jared, and later divorced. 

Merlin began working at Wells Concrete, where he worked for over thirty-five years. He then worked as a custodian until retirement at the age of 62. Later in life, Merlin was united in marriage to Rosa Jones, and they later separated. Following Merlin’s retirement, he enjoyed his time fishing, watching the wildlife, playing checkers and working on cars. He always had the mentality to fix it if it was broken. He would enjoy attending the Minnesota State Fair, where you would typically find him at the milk and cookie stands. He was a humorous man who will be dearly missed. 

Merlin is survived by his sons, Derek (Julia) Fette of Mankato, Jared (Caroline Miller) Fette of Minneapolis; two grandchildren, Larissa and Georgie; siblings, Curtis (Tammy) Fette of Owatonna, Susan (Larry) Swenson of Lake City, Russell (Carole) Fette of Elko, Donald Fette of Albert Lea, Cheri McDonough of Waseca; and many nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Esther and Kenneth Fette. 

Memorial Service will be at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Meriden. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the church. A burial will follow at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Meriden.