Tragedy: Christian Tycoon Takes His Life

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Tragedy: Christian Tycoon Takes His Life

German Entrepreneur Merckle was One of the Richest Men on Earth



By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News Service

BLAUBEUREN (ANS) – The German business tycoon Adolf Merckle, who tragically took his life after seeing his business empire crumble, was an evangelical Christian.

The 74-year-old magnate threw himself in front of a train near his home in Blaubeuren in South West Germany, January 5. Merckle, the world’s 94th richest man, leaves behind his wife Ruth, three sons and a daughter. The committed Christian family is active in several social and humanitarian projects.

Tobias Merckle runs a rehab program for young offenders in association with the international ministry Prison Fellowship. Philipp Daniel Merckle is the founder of the network “World in Balance”, which sponsors development projects in poor countries.

Ruth Merckle was a member of the leadership of the Evangelical Church in Germany from 1990 – 1998. She was also a board member of the Association of Evangelical Entrepreneurs.

Adolf Merckle left a final note for his family. They later released a statement, which reads: “The economic distress in his companies as the result of the financial crisis and the associated uncertainties of the last weeks, as well as his sense of impotence at no longer being able to act, destroyed this passionate family entrepreneur, and he ended his life”.

Merckle’s personal fortune is estimated at 9.5 billion US-Dollars. His companies – among them HeidelbergCement and the pharmaceutical company ratiopharm – employed more than 100,000 people.

Since the financial crisis, Merckle’s business ventures experienced serious problems. He was also one of the biggest losers from a dramatic swing in Volkswagen shares.

Adolph Merckle kept a low public profile and was known for his humble lifestyle. He always travelled second class on the train, and insisted on the family going on cycling holidays.

His family was involved in evangelistic activities at the workplace. Ratiopharm gave away Christian books to its employees and recruited a female Christian counselor in 2002. In 2006 the Merckle family provided a venue for the evangelistic campaign ProChrist in their hometown Blaubeuren.

Bishop Frank Otfried July of Stuttgart, who knows the family well, was dismayed by the news of Merckle’s tragic death. “We can only commend him to God’s grace,” he said.

<!–BYLINE:By Wolfgang Polzer
Special to ASSIST News Service–>