Del Rae Merkel

Del Rae Merkel, age 83, passed away on October 20, 2023, at Sky Ridge Hospital after a 13- year-long battle with cancer. She was born on August 2, 1940, to Lawrence and Dorothy Tramp in Menominee, Nebraska.

Del Rae met Allen Merkel in eighth grade and married on June 12, 1961. Del Rae graduated from Mount Marty College and worked as a Medical Technologist at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, South Dakota. In 1972, they moved to Colorado, where she worked as a Medical Technologist at St. Anthony's Hospital for 25 years before retiring.

Not only did Del Rae work at St. Anthony's, she also spent a lot of time praying to St. Anthony, seeking help to find lost items – especially her credit card, Driver's License, and glasses!

Del Rae was an avid quilter, loved playing Bridge, and rarely missed a Colorado Rockies or Denver Broncos game. Her greatest passion was cooking. She would spend hours perusing recipes and loved to entertain. She expressed her love for family and friends with five-star meals and elegantly decorated tables. Her family's favorite restaurant was her house.

Before her cancer diagnosis in January 2011, she and Allen enjoyed traveling; her favorite destinations were Italy, Germany, and the East Coast. They spent many years camping in their Fifth Wheel and especially loved spending winters in Arizona.

Del Rae was preceded in death by her husband Allen and survived by her children, Lori (Dan) Elvera, Craig Merkel, and Lynn Merkel, and four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The rosary will be prayed at 6:00 PM at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E County Line Road, Centennial, 80122. The funeral service will be held at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 6673 W Chatfield Ave., Littleton, 80128, at 10:30 AM.

Memorial donations may be made to The American Cancer Society.