Merrill was born to Sam and Bertha in Worcester Massachusettes. He was Valedictorian in his High School. He overcame his Asthma by diligently swimming, going to the Allergist, and even embracing Psychiatry. He was aMechanical Engineer having graduated from Worcester Polytech and was a lifelong learner of science by perusing the Scientific American and New York Times every day. He loved Classical Music, and Broadway and loved to sing. He was a member of the Temple Sinai Senior Choir but never mastered reading Hebrew. We would be singing our hearts out together to the tunes Cantor Belink taught us. I remember that we both cried at commercials and movies. He loved my mother so much that he was willing to play both bridge and golf with her though she always was superior to him. He was the favored son, of 5. And fought with his father to ensure his younger sisters would also be given a college education. At 50 years old he had the courage to radically change his life by buying a business to run. He began with 12 employees and it grew to thousand or so at his death. He connected to his employees and made it a priority to ensure the continuation of the company after he would not be able to run it. To that end, He hired consultants to help it navigate from an entrepreneurial model, to a managed, metric one so he could ensure the employees would still have livelihoods. My father cared deeply about the Jewish People and took leadership positions in UJA, ORT, Long Island Jewish Hospital, Gurwin Geriatric Center and the Mid Island Y. I remember him raising over a million dollars for Israel after the 67 war. We went to Israel soon after and it started my own zionist Journey. Dad and I listened to Theodore Bikel, 2000 year old Man, Bill Cosby, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. He sang the politically incorrect Chinaman song, Molly Malone, Sunrise Sunset He fell in love with my mother after hearing her play the violin. She Pre-deceased him and left such a void, he didn't really thrive after that.