deerslayer Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 I see the Merle recently passed away. I thought id mention it here. He was a good friend and mentor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 (edited) Sorry to hear that news, always sad to hear of 'old school' Thompson enthusiast passing away, RIP. Edited April 17 by rpbcps Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit57 Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 Darn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giantpanda4 Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 He will be missed. Just discussing him yesterday! RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim c 351 Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 Merle was very good to me. I will miss him. Jim C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
full auto 45 Posted April 17 Report Share Posted April 17 Merle was always a good friend. I was just thinking last week, that I haven't heard from him for a while. He was great with a Thompson drum. Rest easy Merle. You will be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted April 18 Author Report Share Posted April 18 Merle Fredrick Bitikofer, a long time resident of Dallas, Oregon went to be with his wife on Thursday, March 30th. Merle was born on January 31, 1940 in McPherson, Kansas the son of Melvin and Cora Bond Bitikofer. The family moved to the Woodburn/Monitor area of Oregon in 1941. They moved to the Salem area in 1949, buying and settling on a 40 acre farm. Merle graduated from nearby Western Mennonite High School in 1958 before traveling to Europe to serve in the Pax program. After returning to Salem he met his love, Karen Jordan, and they were married on June 5th, 1965. They lived in Salem and Portland before moving to Dallas in 1970, buying a house and land where they could keep horses. Merle’s first occupation was as a Diesel Mechanic. He also proudly served as a member of the Dallas Volunteer Fire Department. A broken back in 1978 led to many different jobs including selling and installing fireplace inserts with his brother, putting up hay with his father-in-law, and working as a machinist. His fascination with Thompson submachine guns led him to repairing their large drum magazines and being known as “The Drum Doctor” by the machine gun enthusiast community. Merle also had a love of trains, planes, boats, and automobiles. Much time was also spent vacationing with Karen and visiting their friends. Merle and Karen also traveled constantly to Eugene to see their twin granddaughters, who they loved so much. He is survived by his son, Todd (Shanna) Bitikofer, daughter, Tami Dettwyler, granddaughters, Ashlyn and Amber Bitikofer, along with brothers, Phares (Helen), Ervin (Nancy), and sister Maxine (Amos) Stoltzfus. Merle was preceded in death by sisters Thelma Martin and Eudene Snyder, and brother Melvin. Funeral Services will be on Friday, May 5th at 11:00 AM at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. Merle will then be reunited with Karen around 1:00PM at Restlawn Mausoleum. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 Thanks for that, Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD. Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 Dan, Thank you for the notice about Merle and posting the obituary. Merle was a giant in the Thompson community and will be missed. That said, his legacy will live on for many many years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerslayer Posted April 18 Author Report Share Posted April 18 His son Todd and i are making plans to save as much of his gun paraphernalia as we can and distribute the knowlege as much as possible. Merle invented a lot of "wheels" for servicing guns and drums so we will try to get those back into use so they dont need to be reinvented! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Sergeant Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 RIP Merle. Another another legend in the Thompson Community who has earned his Rest in Peace. He'll be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Dudley Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 Thanks for posting, Dan. RIP Merle and thanks. U D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_brock Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 He will be missed. I spoke to him a. Few times and always so nice to talk about his 22 kit. Dan I hope you can carry on sone of the legacy and knowledge Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland the Thompsongunner Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 Had a few phone conversations with him over the years he was a great guy and him and his knowledge will be missed. God bless him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorcar Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 Thanks Dan. Merle was always kind to me as well when we spoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc230 Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 Sorry to hear about Merle. I never had any interactions with him, but I do have one of his .22LR conversion kits so I can understand how much of an impact he had on the Thompson Community. Rest In Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 Sad to hear that. I recall back in 2006-8 going to the SAR December show and hanging out with all the Thonpson folks.....Merle, Doug, Murray and Jan, Gordon Herigstad, Lana and Tino and Ron Egalka. Learned soooooo much just chatting with each, and the evening dinners were a real hoot! We still go to SAR occasionally but are missing many of the usual suspects lately. RIP Merle, your knowlege and sense of humor were both immense and unique. You will be missed by all. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1921A Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 Very sorry to hear this - Rest In Peace. I bought a lot of Thompson stuff from Merle- always enjoyed talking with him. 1921A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kck8385 Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 Sad to hear about his passing. Merle serviced a number of drums for me. He was a pleasure to talk to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 Sad news for the Thompson community. I did have the pleasure of meeting Merle in person at the TATA Show and Shoot he attended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deavis Posted April 22 Report Share Posted April 22 When I saw him at his home a few years ago it was a treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 Had a few great phone conversations with him. You know someone knows there stuff when they can walk you through a drum issue over the phone and get it up and running without even seeing it in person. He will be missed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpbcps Posted April 27 Report Share Posted April 27 It is good to see that in Rogers book, 'Thompson Submachine Gun Magazines: 1917-2021', Merle is listed in the Acknowledgements. The Drum Doctor also gets a write up on page 98, where his invaluable service to owners of the Numrich West Hurley 'C' drums is mentioned. He may be gone, but not forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle3 Posted April 30 Report Share Posted April 30 Big loss. R.I.P. Merle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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