Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Home
Frederick T. (Rick) Merkel, 70, of Columbus, passed away Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
Rick was born on July 29, 1949 in Johnstown, PA. When he was 3, his family moved to Lakeland, FL., where he grew up.
Rick graduated from Lakeland Senior High School. He then went on to earn a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). While at Georgia Tech, Rick was president (senior year) of his fraternity Chi Phi and was also a member of the Naval ROTC program. Upon graduation from Georgia Tech, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and immediately reported for active duty.
Rick served in the Navy from 1971-1978. He was stationed in San Diego, CA and saw two (2) tours of duty during the Vietnam War. During this time, he was promoted to lieutenant and served as Damage Control Officer and Engineering Officer on both the Destroyers USS Hanson (DD-832) and USS HOEL (DDG-13).
Rick felt the Navy was a cornerstone of his growth as a leader and manager. Upon his completion of his tours in Vietnam, he was transferred to the University of Kansas to teach Naval Science in the ROTC department. While at the University of Kansas, Rick earned his MBA degree.
Upon completion of his duty assignment at Kansas, he left the Navy and started his 40+ year business career. He began by moving his young family to Macon, GA, where he went to work for Proctor & Gamble, then moved to Houston, TX to start a career with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation.
In Houston, his career in manufacturing began, as a plant engineer, then on to a production superintendent and then a plant manager. He was plant manager at Kaiser's foil plant in Cupertino, CA., then a forging plant in Oxnard, CA.
By 1994, his professional life and personal life changed when he and Brenda were married and transferred to Erie, PA., where he was plant manager.
The next transfer was to Southfield Michigan, where he was promoted to Vice President of Manufacturing. They remained in Detroit for a couple of years until Enkei America came calling. He accepted an offer with Enkei America and was now working with an international company based in Hamamatsu, Japan. Enkei America, in Columbus Indiana, has been his employer for the last 22+ years. As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer he has forged many lifelong business partners and friendships from Indiana to Japan. He always enjoyed meeting new people and was grateful for his adventures and travels to new countries.
Rick's professional life was full of work outside of Enkei as well. He was a loyal supporter of the United Way and served on their Board of Directors. Rick also served on other boards in the community, such as the Columbus Economic Development Board, and CRH Foundation Board. He was instrumental in facilitating the gift of a new Shigeru Kawai concert grand piano to the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. The gift was from Enkei to the city of Columbus. He was an early supporter of the Education Coalition, and more recently involved in the Manufacturing Educator Partnerships, to help develop workforce training.
Rick loved to travel. Whether he was on a cruise in the Baltic, or on his way to Alaska, he enjoyed meeting new people and appreciated the opportunities he had. Snow skiing in the Pacific Northwest became a favorite family vacation, where he said he'd live one day.
He was a fan of stage presentations, loved to dance and enjoyed all kinds of music. Spending time with his family, 2 (two) dogs and planting flowers, made for a good day.
Rick lost his long battle with cancer on July 22, 2020.
Rick is survived by his wife, Brenda; mother, Elaine; son, Steve; daughter, Lindsey; brother, Tom (Mickey); grandchildren, Mason and Sierra; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In keeping with Mr. Merkel's wishes, cremation took place. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held August 11th from 4-7 p.m. at Westside Community Church. The Celebration of Life Service will be held August 12th at 1 p.m. at Westside Community Church; Pastor Dennis W. Aud will officiate. We do ask visitors to follow social distancing guidelines and masks are required in the church. The funeral service will be broadcast in the church parking lot on 87.9 FM. Full military honors will be presented by the Bartholomew County Veterans Honor Guard.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to the Columbus Regional Hospital Cancer Center and/or Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.
Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the family and a video tribute may be viewed at barkesweaverglick.com.
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