Person:Merle Klotz (2)

Jon Shultz - Dec 7, 2002

Today Christie [my future daughter-in-law] and I visited Merle Klotz in Bowling Green OH. Although he lives on Klotz Rd which is easy to find, today I had trouble picking out his house--- you see the large letter K he had hanging on his garage door was missing.

I talked to him when he pulled into his driveway and agreed to meet him later at the Klotz Flower Shop located around the corner.

Merle who is eighty-eight looks good and seems to be in reasonable good health. He said he has been busy drilling holes in several thousand pine cones which are painted for decorations. Unforunately his wife is in poor physical shape. Seems she is bed ridden and has dialysis treatments twice a week.

He talks very favorably about the love of his life.

Before we left he pulled us off to the side and said the had a story to tell us.

It seems when Merle was in his early twenties, his friend Ivan asked him to go to this fortune teller that was in the area. Merle said he did not believe in such stuff but relented to his friend's wish.

Being wary of the Gypsy, Merle gave his wallet to his friend to hold while having his fortune told.

The Lady took his hand and looking at the lines of his palm told him that he would be breaking up with the young lady he was going with, and with in four days he would meet the new love of his life. Also Merle was to look in the attic for some valuable items.

That weekend Merle was to go with his lady friend and two other couples to Cedar Point. His date who was a student at Bowling Green College informed him she had to go home. Merle pleaded with her not to go, but she left for home near Columbus.

The day of the Cedar Point journey Merle and his friends made the rounds at several small towns trying to find a date for him. A few girls were willing to go but had to be back by 7 P.M Another's father said no way. Ivan said, "Lets try this farmhouse-- I know a girl who lives here ".

It was the house of Merle's future wife, Wilhemina. When she had to turn Merle down as she could not go, she impressed him very favorably. She said she could not go but he should check back with her at a future time. As the fortune teller had predicted, Merle had found the girl of his life within four days.

Oh what about the valuable objects in the attic? That took a little longer to come true. Earlier last month Merle went to the attic and found several old presidential campaign buttons. Took them to an antique dealer on Route 25 and found out they were worth $800 - $1,000.

Merle W Klotz, 90, of Bowling Green OH, died Wednesday, January 28, 2004, at Heritage Inn. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. In 1918, when Mr. Klotz was a young boy, he worked alongside his father at their family's business, Klotz Flower Farm. Mr. Klotz was always very proud of having lived on that very same farm for well over 80 years. Mr. Klotz graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1931 and later married Wilhelmine A Marten July 22, 1938, in Pemberville OH. She preceded November 15, 2003. For over sixty-one years, Merle along with his wife at his side, they were florists/co-owners of the Klotz Flower Farm. Since 1938, he has been a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church and its' Silver Club, Bowling Green. He also was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church, Haines City, FL. He was a Charter Member of the Northwestern OH Teleflora; member of the Farm Bureau Council, and the Easy Goers Campers Club. He was a 50-year member of both the Bowling Green's Elk's Club and the Oddfellows. He also was Volunteer Fire Chief and Fireman of the Center Twp Fire Department. At age 70, Mr. Klotz was honored as a Honorary Member of the Nati onal FFA and the BGHS FFA. He also enjoyed his grandchildren and travelin g, especially camping and fishing.
He is survived by one daughter, Nancy (Larry) Germann, and one son, Gene (Rita) Klotz; one sister, Betty Thompson of Bentonville, Arkansas; four grandchildren, Cindy Gerken, Jody Germann, Audra McMurray, and Eric Klotz; 4 great-grandchildren.

Friends and family will be received Friday from 2-8 p.m. at the Hanneman Family Funeral Homes Trust 100, Deck-Hanneman Chapel, 218 East Wooster St Bowling Green, 419-352-2171. Funeral Service will be Saturday at 11 a. m. at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 315 S College Drive, Bowling Green. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be given to St. Mark's or Faith Lutheran Church Building Fund, Haines City, FL.
On-line condolences: www.hannemanfh.com

BOWLING GREEN - Merle W Klotz, who guided a produce and flower farm in to a leading area flower and garden center, died Wednesday of kidney failure at Heritage Inn, an assisted-living facility. He was 90. Mr. Klotz, along with his late wife, Wilhelmine, operated what came to be called Klotz Floral Gift & Garden Center on Napoleon Rd for mo re than 60 years. The business, one of Bowling Green’s oldest enterprise s, was established by his father in 1918.

When he took over in the early 1940s, Mr. Klotz sold vegetables, chickens, and other produce to local residents. Within a short time, he experimented with growing flowers and was soon erecting a greenhouse to sell hundreds of flats a year. Because his home was where he farmed, people had few qualms about dropping by any time to buy, Gene Klotz, his son, said. "When I was a teenager, we were open all the time," he said. "People would come at 8:30 at night."

His father had to be quick about making decisions about the direction of the business to capitalize on the changing nature of retail operations. "He was a good communicator," his son said, and enjoyed telling stories that recounted the difficulties of work and the rewards it offered. "People liked to listen to him and converse with him," his son said. "He was a people person who liked being around people." During the summers, he employed high school students who often were getting their first exposure to work. "He was tough on them, but he said that was what they needed," his son said. They came to appreciate his coaching. Over the years, the space he devoted to growing flowers doubled several times. However, the firm eventually reduced its own growing activities to concentrate on retail sales.

Mr. Klotz was formerly a firefighter for Wood CO’s Center Twp Fire Department and once served as its fire chief. In his spare time, Mr. Klotz enjoyed gardening and helped his wife can everything from green beans to grapefruit and pineapple while wintering in FL. He was a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. He was a charter member of Northwestern OH Teleflora and a member of the Farm Bureau Council, the Easy Goers Campers Club, the Bowling Green Elks Club, and the Oddfellows.

Surviving are his daughter, Nancy Germann; son, Gene; sister, Betty Thompson; four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Services will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. The body will be in the Hanneman Family Funeral Home after 2 p.m. today. The family suggests tributes to the church or the Faith Lutheran Church building fund, Haines City, Fla.