MERVIN SKAUFEL Mervin Newell Skaufel, 88 of Cooperstown, ND, passed away on October 27, 2011 in the Cooperstown Medical Center Nursing Home in Cooperstown, ND. Mervin was a lifelong resident of Cooperstown. He was born January 21, 1923 on a farm south of Cooperstown and was the oldest of eight children born to Morris and Inga (Wisdahl) Skaufel. Mervin was inducted into the US Army July 23, 1942 at Fort Snelling, MN. He say service in North Africa, Sicily, Scotland, England, France and his unit was the first in Berlin. Se served as a rifleman until it was determined he could ride a motorcycle and became a motorcycle messenger. It was his job to carry communications to and from the front line to the rear command post. He was honorably discharged from the service November 17, 1945. After his discharge he returned to Cooperstown. He worked as farm laborer for the next year. In the spring of 1947 he and his brother started renting farm land. Merv purchased the family north of Cooperstown and farmed until retiring in the lat 1970’s. He worked for Loder Implement in Cooperstown and Edlund Motors in Binford, ND. For many years Merv had a large collection of antique tractors. He was very active in the VFW and American Legion. In 1952 he served as Commander of Gordon Lindgren American Legion Post #143 in Cooperstown, ND. He is survived by a brother, Richard (Dorothy), Aurora, CO; three sisters, Luella (Dennis) DeLong, Bremerton, WA; Ruth (Tom) Henderson, Edmonds, WA; Kay (Bill) Strand, Mukilteo, WA; sister-in-law Marie Skaufel, Cooperstown, ND, nephew Allen Skaufel, Cooperstown, ND, niece, Julie Skaufel, Valley City, ND; brother-in-law, John Tiffany, Spokane, WA and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother-Erling, two sisters, Gloria Roberts and Dorothy Tiffany, and brother-in-law Robert Roberts. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, November 8, 2011 in the Quam-Plaisted-Cushman Funeral Home in Cooperstown, ND at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be held Monday, November 7, 2011 from 4:00 till 7:00 in the funeral home and one hour before services in the Church. Interment will be in the Cooperstown Cemetery, Cooperstown, ND. To send a flower arrangement or to plant trees in memory of MERVIN SKAUFEL, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.