Merle H. Saunders, 63, of Manning, died Friday, October 29, 1982, at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll. He was a retired farmer and in later years operated the Saunders Cafe and the Saunders Steak House in Manning.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday, November 1, at the Ohde Funeral Home in Manning with the Rev. Dennis Johnson, minister of First Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial was in Nishnabotna Cemetery at Manilla. Serving as casketbearers were Kenneth Stripling, Ronnie Hiatt, Emmett Mullen, Brian Lage, Arno Miller, and Brad Vollstedt.

Mr. Saunders is survived by his wife Jeanne, Manning; the following children: Kay and her husband Roy Houghton, Manning; Dennis Saunders and his wife Beth, Omaha; Carl Saunders and his wife Sue, Fort Madison; Bill Saunders and his wife Lorie, Omaha; Millie Saunders, Des Moines; 19 grandchildren and a great-grandchild; a sister Mrs. Elmer (Mildred) Lang, Larned, Kansas; two brothers: C.A. Saunders, Columbus, Nebraska, and Donald Saunders, Lodi, California; nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents. Mr. Saunders was born November 29, 1918, at Manilla, a son of C.A and Permina (Milligan) Saunders. He graduated from Manilla High School in 1934. He was married on March 1, 1938, to Jeanne Donnelly at Manilla. They farmed near Manilla until 1951 when they moved to the Casey and Lewis, Iowa, areas where they farmed for the next four years. In 1955, they moved to Manning where they operated the eating places. He retired in 1978.