Merrill Bumbaugh

Merrill Bumbaugh quietly passed away on December 14, 2018, at the age of 88.

Merrill was born on February 26, 1930 in Manhattan, Kansas to Hiram and Regina Bumbaugh. He grew up in Ogden and was a veteran of the Korean War, receiving an honorable discharge as a 2nd Lieutenant.

Merrill met Barbara Kling while he was in the armed services. They married in 1954.

As a student at Kansas State University on the GI Bill, Merrill worked in the physical plant to support his family. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering in January 1960. Merrill became a licensed professional engineer and worked for several firms throughout his career, designing power plants, water and wastewater treatment facilities, and aircraft modifications.

Merrill earned his pilot's license on his birthday in 1956, two months before the birth of his first child. Later he combined his mechanical engineering skills with his passion for flying and founded STC Engineering while working full time as a mechanical engineer in the aircraft industry, consulting on aviation and mechanical engineering projects.

Active in the communities in which he lived, Merrill enjoyed coaching his son's little league football team, encouraging each child to play and gain self-confidence. He also enjoyed family camping, family vacations in the VW camper, model trains, railroading, trout fishing, scuba diving, deer hunting, dog training, and anything mechanical, especially aircraft.

Like his father, Merrill was a member of the Kansas Lafayette Lodge No. 16 AFu0026AM Masonic Lodge in Manhattan. He recently had been a member of the Lutheran Church in Tahlequah as well as the Cookson United Methodist Church. Barbara had been the song leader at the Cookson United Methodist Church.

Merrill was preceded in death by his beloved wife Barbara and his brother Myron. He is survived by his sister Madeline, brother-in-law Bill Hosier, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; Merrill's children and spouses, Alan and Julie Bumbaugh, Diane and Craig Stevenson, David and Melanie Bumbaugh and grandchildren Michael Bumbaugh, Alexandra Bumbaugh, Samuel Bumbaugh, Aaron Stevenson, and Barbara's nieces and their families.

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