Karen Mertz of Perry celebrated her 77th birthday Saturday, surrounded by family and friends sharing enjoying a buffet meal at the Mandarin Cafe.
Joining her were her brother and sister-in-law, Colby and Joyce Withers of Redlyn, Iowa; sons, Tom Mertz and Jimmy Mertz; a number of grandchildren; and numerous friends. Richard and Marilyn Bryant of Perry were among the numerous well wishers who attended the party.
“Karen is a real character,” Richard Brant said, “a Perry original.”
Martz was a longtime employee of the Woodward Resource Center. Her devotion to work was so strong that she was once profiled in the pages of the Des Moines Register for earning more income in one year, thanks to double shifts and holiday hours, than the governor of Iowa.
Mertz greeted visitors at the buffet table, where egg flower soup, sweet-and-sour pork, almond chicken and other delicacies were supplied. Many visitors brought cards and gifts.
Mertz’s frank humor and energetic ebullience are still wont to set the table on a roar, and she was in top form Saturday, joking easily with her many admirers.
