Citing the fact he may have “a few good genes,” gave up smoking cigarettes at 32, lived a simple lifestyle with lots of hard work, utilized modern day medicine and had “faith in God,” Merle Moorehead has lived to be 100, celebrating his birthday Aug. 17.
The Nebraska born native, who took residence in West Liberty when he came to the area in 1960 to work for the Mapco Pipeline, is today a resident of the Simpson Memorial Home complex in West Liberty with his wife, Evelyn, who lives in Heath Manor. The couple recorded their 72nd wedding anniversary on May 13.
He’s survived the Great Depression, taken a ride on the Queen Mary during World War II, saw the development of electricity, all kinds of technology and even highway systems, walked three miles a day to get educated in a one-room school house through eighth grade, helped raise a daughter, Mary, went back to his roots to farm in the area and retired 40 years ago from his pipeline maintenance position.
Moorehead’s story begins in Burchard, a small town in rural southeast Nebraska, the second of five children, all of whom he outlived. He graduated in a class of 35 in 1947 from Lewistown High School. He is still one of four from that class still walking the Earth.
Raised on a farm with his two sisters and brothers, Moorehead said there was “little money” and everything was accomplished with hard work, as there were no modern conveniences and no electricity until the mid 1930’s.
He said the year you got to the local county fair including bringing your own food and eating on a blanket next to your car, hopefully a nickel or two in your pocket to spend. He recalls two-day summer picnics that might have included a merry-go-round, hometown talent shows, lemon-aid stands, church food stands and evening dances. He has fond memories of visiting friends you didn’t often see.
With few jobs available after high school, he became an initial member of Civilian Conservation Corps, a government program operated “Army style,” living in barracks, dressing in uniform and getting his food in the “chow line.” He may have earned $25 a week, but $20 was sent home to his parents, leaving him $5 spending money, usually spent on a Saturday night visit to town.
Moorehead even worked for a short time at a munitions plant in Grand Island, Nebraska until he was drafted in 1942, when he went into the Army Air Force, trained to be a flight engineer on a DC3 plane. In the fall of 1944, he left Norfolk, Virginia on the converted luxury British cruise ship Queen Mary with 15,000 troops headed for England. He said the ship “zigzagged” across the Atlantic Ocean on the 15-day trip because of the threat of German submarines.
Moorehead said he came down with the mumps and was in a hospital bed on D-Day, June 6, 1945, but helped fly soldiers in Europe coming back from combat to the French Riviera. He was discharged after the war ended in October 1945, saying the 3.5 years he was asked to serve his country made it “very uncertain whether you’d survive World War II.”
That’s when Moorehead found a job driving trucks for an independent trucker in Lewistown, Nebraska, hauling grain, livestock and “whatever the boss could find to haul.” That’s when he discovered his soul mate for life, Evelyn, remembering he’d park his truck in a garage next to the bank where she worked, finally asking her out to a county fair in Pawnee City, Nebraska. They were married on a Thursday morning in Brock by a Methodist Church minister with their two best friends in attendance.
Later, he drove for a family-owned gasoline jobber in Beatrice, Nebraska, taking a 400-mile trip to Polo, Kansas with a stick-shift truck before the development of interstate highways.
In October 1960, Moorehead moved his family to Iowa to work at the Mapco Pipeline terminal between West Liberty and Iowa City, retiring in December 1980.
But he wasn’t done working yet, taking a maintenance position for the next 10 years for the Simpson Memorial Home, a period when Heath Manor was being constructed.
“West Liberty has always been home to the family,” Moorehead said. The couple raised their only child, now Mary Jean Hildebrand, in the community, giving them two grandsons, Mike of Brooklyn, Iowa and Mark, who lives in Winter Garden, Florida. They also have six great grandchildren. According to Bill Koellner, Moorehead was also a big promoter of youth exchange programs through the Rotary Club of West Liberty and was active for years in American Field Service. The family hosted exchange students from Austrailia and Greece while in West Liberty.
Moorehead’s main hobby was fishing, taking many annual trips with friends to Winniebegosh Lake in Minnesota, while he also enjoyed fishing local rivers.
He moved to the Heath Manor complex in 2016 when his home and lawn became too difficult to maintain, eventually moving into the Simpson Home in September 2019 due to health problems.
Moorehead said he’s learned a lot of lessons in life, including the fact “you can’t do everything yourself.” He advised never being “too proud” to ask for help. He also advised people to “live within your income,” noting having everything other people possess isn’t the most important thing in life. He also advised to “be a good neighbor regardless of color, nationality or religion, noting, “All of us are created equal.”
“Be honest,” he said. “Give of yourself more than asked.”
Moorehead said the COVID-19 pandemic took away family celebrations like other years, but his daughter brought gifts and many cards from family and friends in abiding by social distancing rules for residents at the home, evening bringing a cake to share with residents.
He said a birthday balloon and decorations added to the celebration. “I appreciated everything and everyone making the 100th so special,” he said.