Margaret Lou Merten, 87, of Hart, passed away peacefully and was received into the arms of our heavenly Father on Sunday, August 30, 2026. Margaret was born on March 30, 1939 in Shelby, to Gerald (Ted) A. Rouse and Bessie (Gilbert) Rouse. She graduated from Shelby High School in 1957 and attended Michigan State University.

On November 28, 1959, she married Bernard Merten at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and moved to a house down a dirt road, where they worked the family farm, milking cows and raising five children. Margaret worked for many years at Howmet. She continued to pursue her education while working and raising her family and earned her bachelor’s degree. After retiring from Howmet, she and Bernard enjoyed going to flea markets and antique shows together, hunting up interesting antique toys and milk bottles for Bernard’s collection.

Margaret was a sports fan. She loved to play softball and coached softball while her kids were in school. She was a big MSU fan, but found it in her heart to forgive her granddaughter for working at U of M. She loved spending time with her family and always had a bowl full of treats on her table for the grandkids. She would take the time to make sure that they had things that she knew made them happy, whether that meant an envelope full of stickers saved from gimmes, bags of Smarties candy picked up at the store, or her husband’s magazine subscription to Fur-Fish-Game that she continued to subscribe to 20 years after his death just because she knew her son-in-law liked to read it.

Margaret is survived by: her five children, Nora (Dave) Kokx of Hart, Steve (Cathy) Merten of Plainwell, Tim (Christine) Merten of Hart, Ron Merten of Grand Rapids, and Rita (Milton) Longcore of Hart; grandchildren, Crystal (Bryan) Birchmeier, Scott (Sara) Kokx, Clayton Merten, Brittany (Sean) Lewman, Austin Merten, Elizabeth (Jordan) Albus, Jacob Longcore, and Garrett Longcore; great-grandchildren Avery and Denna Birchmeier, Sophia, Kenneth, Kevin and Alaska Lewman, and Joseph, Hannah, and Benjamin Albus; stepsister, Dana Alvarado: sister-in-law, June Merten.

Margaret was preceded in death by: her husband, Bernard Merten; parents Gerald and Bessie Rouse; siblings, Gerald “Terry” Rouse, R. Lee Rouse, Janet Brown, Mary Sue Newson, and Betty Jo Rouse.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret will be held at 11 am Saturday, September 5, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Weare with Fr. Phil Sliwinski presiding. Visitation will be one hour prior to Mass at the church. There will be a luncheon following the Mass at St. Joseph’s Hall. Interment will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Harris Funeral Home, in Shelby, is in charge of arrangements.

www.harrisfhome.com