Merrill G. Hale

Mass of Christian Burial for Merrill G. Hale, age 65, of Papillion, Nebraska formerly of Allen and South Sioux, will be 10:30 a.m. April 6, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Norfolk. Reverend Patrick McLaughlin will be celebrant, with burial in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Norfolk. 

Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. April 5, 2024, with a 7:00 p.m. Vigil Service at Home for Funerals Chapel, 708 Georgia Avenue, in Norfolk.

The Mass will be livestreamed on the funeral home’s website. 

Merrill passed away Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the Hillcrest Hospice Care Facility in Papillion after a lifelong battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). 

Merrill G. Hale was born on Sunday, March 30, 1958, to Dorothy and Walter Hale in Wakefield, Nebraska. He grew up on his family farm in Allen with his sister LeAnne. He graduated from Wakefield High School in 1976, where he was on the football and wrestling teams. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wayne State College in 1980. 

While in college he met his future wife, Maggie Otto. They married in 1982. They first lived in Wayne Nebraska, and later moved to South Sioux City to advance Merrill’s career in finance. 

After moving to South Sioux, Merrill and Maggie welcomed their two daughters into the world, Vanessa and Cora. 

For a few decades he worked at Dakota County State Bank (now F&M Bank) as a loan officer, until his retirement. 

When he wasn’t working or spending time with his family, Merrill was an active member of his community. He served on the South Sioux City Council and was an active member of the local Jaycees. He participated and helped organize several walks for MS research and loved going to pancake feeds to help raise money for local fire and police departments. 

In his spare time, he loved to take his family on trips across the country, watch and cheer on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was a huge fan of several sci-fi shows and movies. 

Merrill is survived by his wife, Maggie; daughter, Vanessa and her partner Cord; daughter, Cora and her partner Alex; three grandchildren, Aviya, Zimir, and Jackson; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy; father, Walter; sister, Leanne; mother-in-law, Patricia Otto; and father-in-law, Thomas Otto. 

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.  Cards to the family can be mailed to 914 West Meadow Ridge Road, Norfolk, NE 68701.

Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.homeforfuneralsinc.com.

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