Merlin Eugene Huber left us late in the afternoon on July 17th, 2024. He laid down to take a nap and passed in his sleep. He was 93.

Merlin was born to farmers Katherine and Leonard Huber on February 13th, 1931. He was a graduate of Sparta High School and an Air Force Veteran. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from what is now UW-La Crosse.

After college, he worked for a short time at Gateway Foods. It was during this time that he decided that he would rather work for himself. He started Mississippi Valley Coating & Painting in 1961. He traveled all over Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota sandblasting and painting (primarily) bridges. He often joked that while he was on the road, he would empty out the local jailhouse to put together his bridge crew. With pride, he would remark that you couldn’t leave La Crosse County without crossing a bridge that his crew had painted, including the Mississippi River/Cass St. Bridge. One of his favorite bridge painting stories was how he foiled a bank robbery getaway by closing off the bridge.

Merlin later sold Mississippi Valley Coating & Painting to some of the guys who worked for him. He then started a new venture: Mississippi Valley Contractors Equipment. He saw a local need for construction rental equipment so that smaller contractors could get the tools/equipment that they needed for jobs, without having to purchase/finance it. He had a soft spot for young contractors just starting out. Larger companies would often need additional equipment for their jobs, too. If you happened to stop in on a Friday afternoon at 4:30pm or so, there was an ice-cold Old Style in the shop fridge with your name on it. In 1999 he retired from that business, selling it to a company that later sold it to United Rentals.

Merlin married Carol Jean Wells in 1962, living first on Shore Acres, Minnesota and later building a house in Onalaska, WI, where they raised all 5 of their children. He was very proud of his yard, especially the giant oak tree that was felled by the recent storm. Seeing several of his trees destroyed by the storm was devastating to him, he planted many of them with his own hands.

Merlin and Carol enjoyed traveling. He loved fishing in Canada, gambling in Las Vegas with Carol, and going on cruises with her. He visited Costa Rica with his friend Jeff and drove through Mexico with his former son-in-law, Jorge. Merlin and Carol enjoyed taking motorcycle trips on the Honda Goldwing, usually with the La Crosse motorcycle club.

Merlin was a Freemason for nearly 60 years and was raised to Master Mason in 1966. He was also a Shriner for over 50 years. As a member of the Zor Shrine, he volunteered many hours of his time over the years to drive children to the Shriner’s Crippled Children’s Hospital for treatment. His Masonic lodge brothers were very important to him. He used to say of them, “Not all good men are Masons. But all Masons are good men”.

While running his businesses over the years, he also invested in industrial real estate. He was one of the first to build in the Interstate Industrial Park in La Crosse, where his family still owns

property today. He and Carol made a generous donation to Western Wisconsin Technical College that helped the Automotive Technology Center to expand substantially in that same industrial park. The “Huber Training Bay” was dedicated in his name.

As a child of the depression, Merlin wasn’t afraid of being cold, hungry, or uncomfortable. He could operate any type of machine, large or small. His friends and family will remember him as selfless. His own comfort never seemed to matter to him, but the comfort of his wife and kids did. He was humble and self-deprecating.

Everyone who knew Merlin will remember him for his sense of humor. If you asked him whether something was for sale, he would say “Everything is for sale. Except the wife and kids”. If he was very busy, he was “busier than a one-armed paper hanger” and could sneeze so loud that you could hear him a block away. He would serenade his daughters with “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” substituting their names, and would not knock it off, even if you punched him in the arm as hard as you could.

You could see him coming down the street in his orange pickup trucks and crew cabs that he picked up at D.O.T. auctions. He always said, “There’s a lot of fools who will drive themselves to the Poor House in a brand- new pickup truck”. He was frugal, but not cheap. He always bought a round. His kids could order lobster or steak off the menu at Sullivan’s, but he didn’t want us to eat fast food. We had to wait until he was out of town. When he could be convinced to take us for fast food, he would try to order a Big Mac at Burger King. The clerk would try to correct him. Then he’d say, “okay, just give me a Big Mac, then”. They brought him a Whopper. He didn’t know the difference anyway.

Merlin always had kitties on his lap and a dog at his feet. He was never embarrassed to carry on conversations with any of them, no matter who was in the room. It’ll be hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.

Merlin was predeceased by his son, Paul, his parents, Leonard and Katherine, an infant brother, his sisters Clarice Waldenberger and Juanita Affeldt, his brothers Kenny and Don, brothers-in- law Clare Waldenberger and Bob Affeldt, sisters-in-law Ginny Saltzman and Carol (Kenny’s wife) Huber.

Merlin is survived by his wife, Carol, his sons John (Kathy) and David (Sherri), and his daughters Elizabeth and Sarah. He is also survived by his 7 grandchildren Lexie, Steven, Katie, Jonathan, Elsa, Angelina, and Francisco, and 9 great-grandchildren. He is further survived by his former daughter-in-law, Shawn Woodman, and former son-in-law, Jorge Torres Lopez, both of whom he was very fond.

Arrangements are being handled by Coulee Region Cremation Group. Everyone is welcome to come share memories about Merlin, attend a brief Masonic service, and enjoy a full lunch with us on July 31st, 2024, starting at 11am at The Gathering Place, 133 Mason St, Onalaska.

Please consider donating to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Merlin’s name. Through the generosity of donors, they have been able to provide treatment for more than 1.4 million children in need, regardless of their ability to pay. It is a cause that he felt strongly about.

Make checks payable to:
Crippled Children’s Hospital Zor Shriners 6510 Grand Teton Plaza suite 204 Madison, WI 53719