LEBANON, NH — Merle W. Schotanus, age 89, passed away peacefully at the Jack Byrne Center on November 4, 2020 with family by his side. He was born February 28, 1931 in Libertyville, Illinois.
He married the love of his life, Helen Matteson Schotanus, on June 13, 1953. In their 67 years together, they had two daughters, Anna Schotanus (deceased) and Sue Ellen Schotanus of Springfield, NH; two granddaughters, Kara Brock (Tyler Brock) and Samantha Reney (Jeremy Reney); and four great grandchildren, Lauren and Christian Brock and Isabelle and Alexis Reney, all of Grantham NH.
Merle held BA and MA degrees in political science from Ripon College and the University of Wisconsin, respectively, and was a graduate of the National War College in Washington DC. He started his military career in 1948 as a junior in high school by enlisting in the Illinois Army National Guard; he continued to serve for 25 years as a U.S Army officer, 21 as an airborne/infantry officer.
He retired from the military with the rank of Colonel in 1974 and moved to NH to fulfill his dream of becoming a farmer, his love of farming stemming from his roots as the only son of an immigrant Dutch dairy farmer. He opened Sugar Springs Farm, a fruit farm in Grantham NH, and spent the next 21 years cultivating the land he loved so dearly.
He retired for a second time in 1995, and spent subsequent years traveling the world and meeting new people with Helen on their many bicycle and barge tours. When they were not traveling, you would find him tending to the extensive gardens at their home in Grantham, which he and Helen lovingly referred to as “The Elegant Inn.” As an avid gardener, he loved to share both his knowledge and the fruits of his labor with family and friends. Even family visitors from across the US went home with bounties of fresh garlic and sunflower seeds.
Merle dedicated his life to public service, with 70 cumulative years in elected and appointed offices at the local, county, state and federal levels. Among his engagements were 20 years as Grantham NH Town Moderator, 14 years representing Grantham and three other towns in the NH House of Representatives, and 11 years on the University System of NH Board of Trustees. Further, his work with the NH Forest Society meant a lot to him, including designation of the Reney Memorial Forest and a number of awards for his service.
As a two-time cancer survivor, he was passionate about participating in Norris Cotton Cancer Center’s annual fundraising event, The Prouty. He was extremely proud to lead the Grantham Mountaineers Prouty team for 12 years and also to have served as the Honorary Chair for the 37th Prouty in 2017.
Merle lived a full life and touched so many through his many commitments and affiliations. He is deeply missed.
Per Merle’s wishes, services are being planned for June 2021 and will be announced as the date draws near.
Remembrances of Merle are welcome at: Schotanus Family, PO Box 150, Grantham, NH 03753 or schotanusfamily@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following:
– UNH Cooperative Extension – John Pike Leadership Fund; https://extension.unh.edu/
– Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center; https://cancer.dartmouth.edu/donate
– Society for the Protection of NH Forests; https://forestsociety.org/contributions
– The Nature Conservancy; https://www.nature.org/en-us/
To leave a message of condolence, please visit the online guestbook at www.rickerfuneralhome.com.