Memorial service Oct. 2 for Menifee pioneer Merle Zeiders

Merle and Ina May Zeiders were honored during Menifee's birthday celebration in 2018. (File photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Oct. 2 for Merle Zeiders, who was the longest living resident of Menifee at the time of his death on Sept. 23.

Zeiders was 97 years old. He was born in Menifee in 1928 and for decades has been celebrated as one of the area’s pioneers. He and his wife Ina May lived in a ranch house on Zeiders Road south of Scott Road on part of what was once 200 acres owned by the family.

The land was settled by Merle’s father, Walter Zeiders, who arrived in the valley in 1913. He and his wife Frances bought the land for $50 an acre. The house built by Walter in 1933 still stands on the west side of Zeiders Road, just south of Scott Road.

Merle loved to tell the story about how he and his childhood friend, Herk Bouris, used to give each other rides on a tricycle down a nearby dirt road, which later became Highway 395 and is now Interstate 215. In his adult years, Merle Zeiders harvested wheat and other crops and had 35 head of cattle on his farm.

Merle helped to preserve Menifee’s history over the years, enjoying visits with residents interested to know about the past. In 2018, Merle and Ina May were honored during the City of Menifee’s celebration of its 10th year of incorporation.

“Merle’s family and friends hold fond memories of Menifee’s longest living native, who was known for his passion for grain farming, which he learned from his father when he was 13 years old,” said Bill Zimmerman, former Menifee mayor and now vice president of the Menifee Valley Historical Association.

“Merle is respected for his years of service to local 4-H programs and as a board member for the Antelope-Menifee Rural Center in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. He loved to tell stories about growing up in Menifee with his childhood friend and neighbor, Herk Bouris. As an adult, he enjoyed many activities with his brother-in-law, Chester Morrison.”

Merle and Ina May built a home in 1958 at Murrieta Road and Chambers Road, where Walter Zeiders owned some land. They lived there until 1972, when the house was moved to its present location on Zeiders Road. Several generations of Merle’s ancestors still live in Menifee.

“We dragged the house across the valley, right through the fields. There were no roads around back then,” Merle recalled in an article written by Zimmerman.

Merle’s memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the Menifee Bible Church, 268125 Murrieta Road in Menifee. To learn more about Walter and Merle Zeiders and their families, view this YouTube video created by the Menifee Valley Historical Association in recognition of a historical marker placed by the Walter Zeiders home.