A gathering for family and friends to celebrate the life of William Grant "Bill" Merrick Jr., 92, of Clarkesville, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Clarkesville United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall with Pastor Keith Cox, the Rev. Phil DeMore, and the Rev. Jan Devereaux officiating. Bill's wishes were to be cremated.
Mr. Merrick passed away Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020.
Born June 25, 1927, in Waycross, he was a son of the late William Grant Merrick Sr. and Ada Viola Williams Merrick. In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his loving wife, Mina Sue Strickland Merrick; and brother, Anthony Luppens.
Bill spent most of his childhood near the ocean in St. Petersburg, Florida. His love of the water continued throughout his lifetime. He shared this with others through the many times he took them up to Lake Lanier on his various boats. Bill believed in living life to the fullest. His many free time endeavors included hiking, flying, historical research, writing, fishing, guitar playing, and storytelling.
As a young man, Bill enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he served his country proudly in the last days of WWII and the Korean Conflict. After the war, he graduated from the University of Florida on the GI Bill with a degree in Arts and Science. Bill started work on his first job as a lineman for Georgia Power Company. It wasn't until he was hired by State Farm Insurance Company that his true career began. Bill started with the company as an agent and worked his way up to manager in Atlanta. After his retirement, he and his wife relocated to Clarkesville. With this move, an interest in history of this area lead him to a volunteer job with the United States Forestry Service. This job enabled Bill to pursue his love of storytelling as well as writing. He was faithful member of Clarkesville United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his daughters and sons-in-law, Andrea and Ralph Sackett of Clarkesville, and Heather and Charlie Hendricks of Metter; brother, Paul Luppens of Galveston, Texas; grandchildren, Benjamin Merrick Forney of Cumming, Angela Sackett of Athens, and Grant Hendricks and Andrew Hendricks, both of Metter; great-grandchildren, Quinn and William Forney, both of Cumming; and many other relatives and friends.
An online guest book is available at hillsidememorialchapel.com
Arrangements are in the care of Hillside Memorial Chapel, Clarkesville.