Ingeborg Lina Merkel

Ingeborg Lina Merkel (née Speckbacher) died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on October 17, 2021, in Bozeman, Montana at the age of 85.



Ingeborg is survived by her husband, Werner Merkel; children, Karen (Scott) Ropell and Evelyn (Todd) Benson; and sister Helga (Heinz) Grossmann. She is preceded in death by her father Johann Speckbacher and mother Gunda Schneier-Speckbacher.



Ingeborg was born on January 24, 1936, in Innsbruck, Austria to Johann and Gunda Speckbacher. She graduated from a German trade school in 1952 with a degree in Administrative Assistance. She married Werner Merkel, a Tool and Die Maker in 1957. After immigrating to Canada in 1961 with her husband, Ingeborg began working for a local bank as a bookkeeper. Over the next 4 years, the couple welcomed two children into their home. In 1970, Ingeborg and her family immigrated to the United States where she began working part time as a Florist and later as a Teacher’s Aide.



Ingeborg was especially talented at drawing, dancing, and singing. She also loved animals, nature, hiking, skiing, and camping with her family and was passionate about reading and education.



Her husband and children remember her lovingly as a kind and patient person who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams.



A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at a later date, near her birthplace in Austria with immediate family.