Ronald L. Merkel, 70, of Emmaus, died June 29, 2016. He was the husband of Carol (Oels) Merkel, with whom he celebrated 51 years of marriage. “Opa” was born in Emmaus, the son of the late Sterling and Esther (Haas) Merkel.

He was a 1963 graduate of Emmaus High School and a graduate of Moravian College.

He worked as a general foreman of labor and construction at Bethlehem Steel for 26 years, worked for F.A. Rohrbach and was the manager of field services for F. L. Smidth, retiring in 2011.

He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Valley of Allentown Scottish Rite Masons, Emmaus Lodge #792 F&AM and a member of the Emmaus Rotary Club.

He enjoyed sports, had a passion for reading and was an avid bicyclist and golfer. His favorite time was spent with family on vacations at Disney World and Ocean City, N.J., as well as traveling with friends.

He is survived by his wife; son, Christopher and his wife Ashley, of Frisco, Texas; daughter, Tracy and her husband Michael Wanyo, of Allentown; brother, Jeffery and his wife Marin, of Fairbanks, Alaska; grandchildren, Alex and Emily and Mia and Cole Wanyo; his beloved yellow Lab, Maggie. He was predeceased by a sister, Judith Feinour.

Contributions may be made to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at https://mskcc.org/, the National Marrow Donor Program at https://BeTheMatch.org/ or St. John’s Lutheran Church, 501 Chestnut St., Emmaus.

Arrangements were made by the Schantz Funeral Home, P.C., Emmaus.