How they met:
Mert and Nyla met in 1962 at the Glencoe Bowling Alley. They met on a blind date because at the time Mert’s brother was dating one of Nyla’s classmates. Nyla and Mert both agreed to go with on the date at the Bowling Alley and ended up falling in love after that! They got married on January 11th 1964 and have been together ever since! Nyla was 19 when she got married and Mert was 23. They got married in St Paul and had a very small wedding. A few years later they had 2 kids together, 1 boy and 1 girl. Now, they have 9 great grandkids/grandkids together.
Work Life:
Mert was a Tool Maker for Von Ruden in Buffalo, MN where he worked for 36 years. Nyla worked at 3M in Hutchinson, MN in the production industry for 35 years. Nyla loved working at 3M because that is where she met a lot of her life long friends and still gets together with them 3-4 times a year. Mert really enjoyed what he did also. He really liked working hands-on and learned a lot of things during his time at work!
Retirement:
Mert retired in 2005 from Von Ruden and Nyla retired in 2003 from 3M. After they retired they both moved into a house south of Cokato, MN in the country. They enjoyed going to a lot of antique auctions together and collecting items. Some of Nyla’s favorite hobbies are collecting antiques and doing arts and crafts with her grandkids. Mert enjoys going hunting, fishing, and shooting bow and arrows. They both enjoy spending time together collecting old antique things to decorate their apartment with!
Woodstone:
They moved into Woodstone Active Living in September of 2021 and have been enjoying it ever since! They both wanted an easier lifestyle and didn’t want to have so much up keep at their house in Cokato. They chose Woodstone because it is very convenient to access doctors if needed, and it has very nice apartments. Nyla said she enjoys all the amenities that they offer and you don’t get those at many other independent apartment facilities. They both like all of the kind people here at Woodstone. “If we never would have moved here, we never would have met the lovely and kind people here” said Nyla. They both have a lot of fun with the activities hosted and like hanging out with their friends every day!
We love having Mert and Nyla as a part of our Woodstone family. They bring so much fun and joy to our community! Both Mert and Nyla’s are so kind and genuine people.
Best,
McKenna Monahan
Marketing Specialist