She lived on the family homestead until graduating from high school in Kirk, Colorado . She then went to live with her Aunt Estelle in Florida, to go to Secretarial School. She returned to Wray, Colorado, and took a job in the Welfare Office at the Yuma County Courthouse, where she met and married Raymond Van Horn who was a widower with six children. To this union, another six children were born. Raymond Van Horn then was killed in a farming accident, leaving her with six small children when she then met and married neighbor Frank Tiff in June of 1956. From this union, two more children were born. They sold their ranch in Western Kansas and moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to ranch there. The Tiffs then sold the ranch and bought a motel in town, then moved to Oregon and then moved back to Colorado, to the current city of Longmont in 1971, and have made it their home ever since. Mercle was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Howard Likes and George Likes; her first husband, Raymond Van Horn; stepchildren Frank Van Horn, Buddy Van Horn, Link Van Horn and Mary Van Horn Edwards; and her own son, Butch Van Horn, and daughter, Ellen Van Horn Meents. She is survived by her husband, Frank Tiff; stepdaughters Edith Van Horn Roundtree, Lois Van Horn Zuege, and children, Betsy Van Horn Truax Zimmerman, Larry Van Horn, Rick Van Horn, Roger Van Horn, Cindy Tiff Church and Steve Tiff; 22 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, November 18, 2010, at Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Chapel. The celebration-of-life service for Mercle will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, November 18, 2010, at Carroll-Lewellen Funeral Chapel, 503 Terry St., Longmont, CO. Interment will follow at Foothills Gardens of Memory. Friends may share thoughts, memories and condolences with the family at www.carroll-lewellen .com.