Merle News

[deerslayer]

I see the Merle recently passed away.  I thought id mention it here.  He was a good friend and mentor.   

[rpbcps]

Sorry to hear that news, always sad to hear of 'old school' Thompson enthusiast passing away, RIP.

Edited April 17, 2023 by rpbcps
Typo

[Rabbit57]

Darn...

[giantpanda4]

He will be missed. Just discussing him yesterday! RIP.

[jim c 351]

Merle was very good to me. I will miss him.

Jim C

[full auto 45]

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.

[deerslayer]

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.

[bug]

Thanks for that, Dan.

[TD.]

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! 

[deerslayer]

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!   

[First Sergeant]

RIP Merle.  Another another legend in the Thompson Community who has earned his Rest in Peace. He'll be missed. 

[Uncle Dudley]

Thanks for posting, Dan.

 

RIP Merle and thanks.

 

U D

[ron_brock]

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

[Roland the Thompsongunner]

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

[Motorcar]

Thanks Dan. Merle was always kind to me as well when we spoke.

[mbc230]

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.

[john]

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

[1921A]

Very sorry to hear this - Rest In Peace.  I bought  a lot of Thompson stuff from Merle- always enjoyed talking with him.

1921A

[kck8385]

Sad to hear about his passing. Merle serviced a number of drums for me. He was a pleasure to talk to. 

[Bridgeport28A1]

Sad news for the Thompson community. I did have the pleasure of meeting Merle in person at the TATA Show and Shoot he attended.

[Deavis]

When I saw him at his home a few years ago it was a treat. 

[Banjo]

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.

[rpbcps]

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.

[Eagle3]

Big loss. R.I.P. Merle.