Merlin Roy Bretzman

Merlin Roy Bretzman October 12, 1934 - January 10, 2026 Merlin Bretzman of Bloomington, MN passed away peacefully at 91 secure in his salvation. Born at home on the farm in Lakefield, MN, Merlin was the third of four children to parents Delbert W. and Erna Bretzman. He graduated from Lakefield High School in 1952 where he was a pitcher on the baseball team. After working on the farm for a year, he attended Worthington Junior College and the University of Minnesota earning a BBA in Accounting - the first in his family to graduate from college. He joined the army reserves, serving only 6 months due to health issues. Merlin started a job at Blue Cross in Minneapolis as an auditor and spent his entire career in the insurance industry, finishing at the executive level. To his last days, he favored numbers, ledger paper and mechanical pencils. Merlin married Nancy Boyer in 1960, settled in Bloomington, and had three children and a plethora (30+) of foster children. Merlin was an avid bird watcher, amateur photographer, fisherman & hunter. He lived out his farming heritage by working hard around the home, lawn & garden and taking excellent care of his tools while wearing both a sweatband and a cap. Merlin was known for his smile, kindness, sense of humor, and his ability to put people at ease. He cultivated long-term friendships through church, reunions, and hosting friends and relatives at the cabin. Despite his lack of swimming skills, he enjoyed canoeing and patiently drove the boat for all manner of water activities with his life jacket securely buckled. Merlin was a big sports fan, especially when his grandkids were involved. Always present for his family, he attended numerous sporting and extracurricular events. He taught by example subjects including auto maintenance, financial responsibility, household repairs, and how to not get too worked up about things. Merlin retired in 1998 from MMIC and was able to spend more time traveling, honing his card playing skills and becoming a wine connoisseur; both the taste and the entertaining stories on the back of wine bottles delighted him. Two favorite travel destinations were Australia and visiting the Carter Family Fold in Virginia. As a "foodie" he is remembered for his love of fig newtons, Nilla wafers, chocolate covered cake donuts, meat sticks and saltine crackers - all washed down with Mountain Dew! Throughout his life he was a generous supporter of many individuals and causes including Christian education for disadvantaged youth. Merlin is survived by his wife Nancy, sisters-in-law Carol (Vernon) Bretzman, Maxine (Delmer) Bretzman, son Peter Bretzman, daughters Karen (Eric) Prell, Laureen (Michael) Schaser, foster daughter Susan (John) Nguyen, daughters of the heart Kari (Dan) Mattison, and Kristi Ellis, 9 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, a niece and 5 nephews. He was preceded in death by parents Delbert and Erna Bretzman, brothers Vernon and Delmer Bretzman, sister Eunice (Wally) Hohenstein, a granddaughter, and two nephews. Funeral services will be held at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 9201 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington, MN Saturday, January 17, 2026 Visitation: 10:00am Funeral: 11:00am Luncheon to follow On Demand Videos ' St. Michael's Lutheran Church - Bloomington, MN Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date TBD In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hope Academy Give Now ' Hope Academy or Trinity First Lutheran School Donate Now ' Trinity First School in Minneapolis, MN Hope Academy: Give Now ' Hope Academy: https://www.hopeacademympls.org/give Trinity First: Donate Now ' Trinity First School in Minneapolis, MN: https://trinityfirstschool.org/donate/

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Merlin Roy Bretzman

October 12, 1934 - January 10, 2026

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