Jerome W. Merritt Obituary (1945 - 2021)

Jerome W “Jerry” Merritt, age 75 of Menomonie, WI passed away Thursday, April 8, 2021 in Bonita Spring, FL. He was born on November 14, 1945 the fourth of nine children, to Frank and Harriet (Comstock) Merritt in Minneapolis, MN. They lived in Lakeville, MN then Pepin, WI where Jerry graduated high school in 1963. In 1967, Jerry enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corp and served with honors. On June 22, 1968, he married Julianne Hirsch of Springfield, MN and started their life together with the Marine Corp mainly on the East Coast. After settling in Menomonie, Jerry enjoyed farming, sports, and gardening. He was also a member of many veterans organizations. Eventually, Jerry and Julie enjoyed wintering in their Florida home. Jerry is survived by his wife of 53 years, Julianne; five children, Lisa (Bryan) Cronk of Woodville, Judd Merritt of Menomonie, Richard (Angela) Merritt of Plain WI, Denise (Mike) Manny of Menomonie, and Anne (Greg) Link of Surprise, AZ; 15 grandchildren, Andrea, Alex, Kyle, Alexis, Anthony, Shania, Sydney, Kylie, Alana, Samantha, Claire, Marcus, Tyler, Michael and Molly; one great-grandson Ivan; siblings, Judy, James (Lynn), Jennifer, JoAnne (Brad), Joel (Grace), Jeff (Mary), John (Diane) and Jay (Kari); as well as many nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents Frank and Harriet Merritt; sister-in-law Sharon Merritt, brother-in-law Jim Sagedal and grandson Adam Cronk. A visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie. There will be a private service at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at the funeral home with Father John Mano officiating, followed by military honors by Menomonie Veterans Honor Guard. The service will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/OlsonFunerals. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie, WI.