Merle C. Ulvestad, age 76, of Bruce, died Friday, June 3, 2005, at the VA Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Funeral services will be 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at Grace Lutheran Church in Bruce, with interment and graveside military rites at St. Petri Lutheran Cemetery near Bruce. Visitations will be from 5-8 P.M. Monday at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. Memorials may be directed to the St. Petri Cemetery fund. Merle Carlton Ulvestad was born April 28, 1929, at Arlington, South Dakota, to Chris and Maalfrid (Johnson) Ulvestad. He was baptized and confirmed at Sinai Lutheran Church. He grew up in the Volga-Sinai area, and moved with his family to Lake Oakwood, west of Bruce, in 1946. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, from 1951 until 1953. He returned to Bruce and worked as a mechanic for the Leo J. Beem Company. On August 20, 1955, he married Audrey Skovlund at St. Petri Lutheran Church near Bruce. They resided in Bruce, and in 1957 Merle went to work for Kjellsen Chevrolet and Frie Motor Company in Brookings. In 1963, they moved to a farm northeast of Bruce and farmed until 1977 when Merle retired from farming, and they moved back into Bruce. Merle worked for a time at SDSU, retiring in 1991. He worked for Green Thumb in Bruce and the Brookings Parks Department, and also part-time at SDSU. Merle was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church in Bruce and served as a deacon and trustee. He was a member of the Waite-Westrum-Skovlund American Legion Post No. 200 in Bruce. He served on the Bruce City Council. He enjoyed fishing, camping, and spending time with his grandkids and family. Survivors include his wife, Audrey Ulvestad, of Bruce; three children: Arlyn (Holly) Ulvestad of Brookings, Julie (Jim) Hanson of Madison, South Dakota, and Douglas Ulvestad, of Brookings; four grandchildren, Jeremy, Jesse, Chase, and Shelby; a brother, Wesley (Hildur) Ulvestad of Bruce; and two sisters: Carol (Alden) Skovlund of Bruce, and Linda (Daryl) Warner of Lake Preston, South Dakota; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.