Merkle O’Halloran

Memorial services for Merkle O’Halloran, age 89 of Cordell, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cordell First Presbyterian Church, 212 N. College St.
O’Halloran died Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at the Cordell Christian Home. He was born in the Cordell “Florence” H. Bungardt Hospital May 18, 1924.
O’Halloran and his wife were the past owners of Fleming Abstract & Insurance in Cordell.
Both Merkle and his wife, Jean, received their BS degrees from Oklahoma State University (then Oklahoma A&M) — Jean’s in business with an accounting major and Merkle’s in dairy science.
Jean was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Merkle was a charter pledge/member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
O’Halloran was a lifetime second generation resident of Cordell. Between his father (Frank O’Halloran) and himself, they served on the Cordell City Council for a combined total of nearly 50 years. Merkle also was a past mayor of Cordell.
He was an elder member of the session for Cordell’s First Presbyterian Church (including superintendent of Sunday schools).
After graduating from Cordell High School in 1942, O’Halloran attended the University of Oklahoma to earn his R.O.T.C. naval officer commission. He received further training at the U.S. Naval Pier in Chicago where he was commissioned an ensign/commander of a 10 crew LCT Mark 6 (multi tank landing craft).
He made most of the major landings in the Pacific Theatre during World War II  and was part of the initial occupation of Japan at the end of the war.
O’Halloran’s wife of just over 62 years, W. Jean “Lafferty” O’Halloran, died last year on March 21, 2013.
O’Halloran owned one of the first laundries in Elk City for nearly a decade in the 1950’s through the 1960’s. He was active in both the Cordell and Elk City Rotary Clubs.
Approximately during this same time, he also contracted the bottling of his milk under his label to the Kelley’s Dairy bottling plant in Elk City.
He also was a partner with Wayne Boothe in Cordell for more than a decade from the 1960’s through the 1970’s in Washita County Farm Supply/Fertilizer and two full service Champlin stations.
Survivors include two sons, Kent P. O’Halloran and Dr. Kevin F. O’Halloran, DDS, both of Cordell; a step grand-daughter, Marilyn L. “Manolakas” Shipley of Norman; two brothers, Dr. Frank O’Halloran, DDS, of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, and Norman O’Halloran, of Winder/Atlanta, Ga.; and six nephews and nieces.