A loss in the family ... Merle Kaisner

Merle W. Kaisner, 95 of Fairbury, passed away at 10:35 am, Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at his residence in Fairbury.

His funeral will be 1:30 pm, Sunday, October 21, 2018 at the Fairbury Apostolic Christian Church, Fairbury; with the Ministers of the Church officiating. Burial will follow in the Apostolic Christian Church Cemetery, Fairbury.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 pm, Saturday, October 20, 2018 at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Fairbury and 12:30 to 1:15 pm on Sunday prior to the service at the church in Fairbury. Memorials may be directed to SELCAS, Fairbury; OSF Hospice, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Mr. Kaisner was born December 10, 1922 in Fairbury, the son of Joseph and Ida (Sutter) Kaisner. He married Gladys “Marge” Zimmerman on February 22, 1948 in Forrest. His wife preceded him in death on May 8, 2015.  His parents, one infant son, one daughter, Becky Kupferschmid, two grandchildren, Kristie Kay Kupferschmid, Natasha Stewart, and one sister, Alma Jean Schmidgall also preceded him in death.

Survivors include his children, Wanda (Alfred) Kupferschmid of Forrest; Robert (Cheryl) Kaisner, Jerry (Donna) Kaisner, Don (Leona) Kaisner, Gwen Knapp, and LeAnn Kaeb, all of Fairbury; 35 grandchildren; 84 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandson, three brothers, Hartzel (Mary) Kaisner of Detroit, MI; Leon (Eunice) Kaisner of Peoria; Larry (Cynthia) Kaisner of Forrest; three sisters, Helen Follmer of Newberry Park, CA; Janet (Roger) Farney of Bloomington; Lou Ida (Richard) Steffen of Forrest and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Kaisner farmed for many years in the Fairbury-Forrest area. He also served as a maintenance man at Fairview Haven Retirement Community prior to his retirement. He loved spending time with his family and enjoyed woodworking. He was a retired minister and member of the Fairbury Apostolic Christian Church.