Calvin Mutchler
January 25, 1926 — January 13, 2016
Mr. Calvin Mutchler
Calvin Kendal Mutchler, 89, died Wednesday, January 13, 2016, at the home of his daughter, Beth Roby, in Jackson, Tennessee. He was born in Oceola, Ohio, on January 25, 1926—the youngest son of Jesse Cleveland Mutchler and Bessie Dell (Cox) Mutchler. In spring of this year, Cal will join his wife, Peggy Mutchler, in the Tod Township Cemetery in Oceola. Family and friends will be invited to attend a memorial service at that time.
Calvin would say the most important event in his life was marrying Peggy on June 9, 1951. The couple shared a love and talent for music, and Cal’s tenor voice was heard in church choirs and vocal groups in every town they called home. Cal’s marriage to Peggy endured for 61 years and included the births of six children: Sue Mutchler (Dennis Brown) of Littleton, CO, Beth Roby (Kevin Roby, d. 2000) of Jackson, TN, Jan Mutchler (Jeffrey Burr) of Duxbury, MA, Leigh Mutchler (Eric Junkin), of Knoxville, TN, Don Mutchler (Sheryl Chatfield) of Kent, Ohio, and Kathryn Mutchler-Lee (Monny Mutchler-Lee) of Collierville. Calvin also is survived by ten grandchildren and two brothers-in-law and their wives, Richard Hopper (Karen) of Columbus, Ohio, and David Hopper (Sandy) of Fort Wayne, IN. In addition, Cal remained close to many nieces and nephews with whom he kept in touch via letter, email, and in-person whenever possible.
Calvin was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army’s 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division in Germany and Austria from October 1944 to August 1946. He continued his service in the Army Reserves until May 1982, when he retired with the rank of Colonel. After the war, Cal attended universities in Ohio and Minnesota, ultimately earning a PhD in Agricultural Engineering. He enjoyed a 56-year career as a researcher, research leader, and administrator at USDA agricultural research laboratories, during which he received both national and international recognition for his research on erosion and sedimentation processes. He retired in 1992 to spend many more years enjoying family, keeping fit through over 15 years of aquatic swimming, and “digging in the dirt” (as he called working in his yard in Oxford, Mississippi).
Memorials may be made to Hospice of West Tennessee, 1804 Hwy 45 By-pass, Jackson, TN 38305.