Gene was born in Harper, Iowa, on Feb. 15, 1940, to Lester and Lorraine (Gent) Merz.
He served in the Army Reserves from 1956-1964, sang onstage with Johnny Cash, and graduated from Iowa State University (B.S.) in pursuit of veterinary medicine.
He married Barb Thompson on Aug. 13, 1966. They were blessed with four children.
Gene found his professional niche as a feedlot consultant / pharmaceutical rep to veterinarians. With a 7-state territory, he could live anywhere. He and Barb chose the outskirts of Arlington, Nebraska, where they raised their children, made lifelong friends, and dabbled in side-hustles that included racehorses, rabbits, two breeds of dogs, and roughly 800 emus.
Gene loved campers and trailers and toys of all kinds, especially airplanes, airboats, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, and motorcycles, as well the Swamp Fox 6x6 (a little-known amphibious vehicle) and the Aquanaut Diving Compressor (imagine a lawnmower engine, floating in an innertube, pumping air and exhaust via hoses to and from divers below).
In retirement, Barb and Gene downsized to Granby, Colo., closer to kids and grandkids. The move immediately expanded their circle of lifelong friends. Gene added a bigger snowplow to his toybox. He was granted a Free Beer for Life card by a major Denver brewery for clearing the brew master's driveway of several feet of snow after the blizzard of 2004.
Gene lost Barb in 2007. He kept hunting, fishing, traveling and making friends. He welded horseshoes into art. He assembled family for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo every January. He loved seeing his grandkids play softball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and the ukulele.
Eugene Claude (Gene) Merz, 82, passed away peacefully in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 20, 2022, surrounded by family.
In addition to his wife, Gene was also preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Marie, and sisters Alicia McEniry and Marilyn Lowe.
Left to cherish his memory are his brother, Norm (Mary) Merz, sister Maureen (Tobe) Tozier, brothers-in-law Bill McEniry and John Lowe, and step-sister Judy Fouser; his children, Naomi (Mark) Price, Monte (Jenna) Merz, Shane (Lisa) Merz, and Tucker Merz; his godchildren Michael McEniry and Lisa Neuman; and four beloved grandchildren, McKenna Dee, Lucca Louise, Sadie Jane, and Wyatt Gene.
In Monte's words, "He lived full throttle and made mountains of memories... He was a man of faith. He had his forever girl and left four moderately functional and independent kids… He left a legacy."
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Evergreen, Colo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from obituary posted Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Enterprise Publishing, Blair, Nebraska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memorials may be directed to http://www.studentreach.org/hopecenter
He served in the Army Reserves from 1956-1964, sang onstage with Johnny Cash, and graduated from Iowa State University (B.S.) in pursuit of veterinary medicine.
He married Barb Thompson on Aug. 13, 1966. They were blessed with four children.
Gene found his professional niche as a feedlot consultant / pharmaceutical rep to veterinarians. With a 7-state territory, he could live anywhere. He and Barb chose the outskirts of Arlington, Nebraska, where they raised their children, made lifelong friends, and dabbled in side-hustles that included racehorses, rabbits, two breeds of dogs, and roughly 800 emus.
Gene loved campers and trailers and toys of all kinds, especially airplanes, airboats, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, and motorcycles, as well the Swamp Fox 6x6 (a little-known amphibious vehicle) and the Aquanaut Diving Compressor (imagine a lawnmower engine, floating in an innertube, pumping air and exhaust via hoses to and from divers below).
In retirement, Barb and Gene downsized to Granby, Colo., closer to kids and grandkids. The move immediately expanded their circle of lifelong friends. Gene added a bigger snowplow to his toybox. He was granted a Free Beer for Life card by a major Denver brewery for clearing the brew master's driveway of several feet of snow after the blizzard of 2004.
Gene lost Barb in 2007. He kept hunting, fishing, traveling and making friends. He welded horseshoes into art. He assembled family for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo every January. He loved seeing his grandkids play softball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and the ukulele.
Eugene Claude (Gene) Merz, 82, passed away peacefully in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 20, 2022, surrounded by family.
In addition to his wife, Gene was also preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Marie, and sisters Alicia McEniry and Marilyn Lowe.
Left to cherish his memory are his brother, Norm (Mary) Merz, sister Maureen (Tobe) Tozier, brothers-in-law Bill McEniry and John Lowe, and step-sister Judy Fouser; his children, Naomi (Mark) Price, Monte (Jenna) Merz, Shane (Lisa) Merz, and Tucker Merz; his godchildren Michael McEniry and Lisa Neuman; and four beloved grandchildren, McKenna Dee, Lucca Louise, Sadie Jane, and Wyatt Gene.
In Monte's words, "He lived full throttle and made mountains of memories... He was a man of faith. He had his forever girl and left four moderately functional and independent kids… He left a legacy."
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Evergreen, Colo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from obituary posted Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Enterprise Publishing, Blair, Nebraska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memorials may be directed to http://www.studentreach.org/hopecenter
Gene was born in Harper, Iowa, on Feb. 15, 1940, to Lester and Lorraine (Gent) Merz.
He served in the Army Reserves from 1956-1964, sang onstage with Johnny Cash, and graduated from Iowa State University (B.S.) in pursuit of veterinary medicine.
He married Barb Thompson on Aug. 13, 1966. They were blessed with four children.
Gene found his professional niche as a feedlot consultant / pharmaceutical rep to veterinarians. With a 7-state territory, he could live anywhere. He and Barb chose the outskirts of Arlington, Nebraska, where they raised their children, made lifelong friends, and dabbled in side-hustles that included racehorses, rabbits, two breeds of dogs, and roughly 800 emus.
Gene loved campers and trailers and toys of all kinds, especially airplanes, airboats, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, and motorcycles, as well the Swamp Fox 6x6 (a little-known amphibious vehicle) and the Aquanaut Diving Compressor (imagine a lawnmower engine, floating in an innertube, pumping air and exhaust via hoses to and from divers below).
In retirement, Barb and Gene downsized to Granby, Colo., closer to kids and grandkids. The move immediately expanded their circle of lifelong friends. Gene added a bigger snowplow to his toybox. He was granted a Free Beer for Life card by a major Denver brewery for clearing the brew master's driveway of several feet of snow after the blizzard of 2004.
Gene lost Barb in 2007. He kept hunting, fishing, traveling and making friends. He welded horseshoes into art. He assembled family for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo every January. He loved seeing his grandkids play softball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and the ukulele.
Eugene Claude (Gene) Merz, 82, passed away peacefully in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 20, 2022, surrounded by family.
In addition to his wife, Gene was also preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Marie, and sisters Alicia McEniry and Marilyn Lowe.
Left to cherish his memory are his brother, Norm (Mary) Merz, sister Maureen (Tobe) Tozier, brothers-in-law Bill McEniry and John Lowe, and step-sister Judy Fouser; his children, Naomi (Mark) Price, Monte (Jenna) Merz, Shane (Lisa) Merz, and Tucker Merz; his godchildren Michael McEniry and Lisa Neuman; and four beloved grandchildren, McKenna Dee, Lucca Louise, Sadie Jane, and Wyatt Gene.
In Monte's words, "He lived full throttle and made mountains of memories... He was a man of faith. He had his forever girl and left four moderately functional and independent kids… He left a legacy."
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Evergreen, Colo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from obituary posted Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Enterprise Publishing, Blair, Nebraska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memorials may be directed to http://www.studentreach.org/hopecenter
He served in the Army Reserves from 1956-1964, sang onstage with Johnny Cash, and graduated from Iowa State University (B.S.) in pursuit of veterinary medicine.
He married Barb Thompson on Aug. 13, 1966. They were blessed with four children.
Gene found his professional niche as a feedlot consultant / pharmaceutical rep to veterinarians. With a 7-state territory, he could live anywhere. He and Barb chose the outskirts of Arlington, Nebraska, where they raised their children, made lifelong friends, and dabbled in side-hustles that included racehorses, rabbits, two breeds of dogs, and roughly 800 emus.
Gene loved campers and trailers and toys of all kinds, especially airplanes, airboats, snowmobiles, four-wheelers, and motorcycles, as well the Swamp Fox 6x6 (a little-known amphibious vehicle) and the Aquanaut Diving Compressor (imagine a lawnmower engine, floating in an innertube, pumping air and exhaust via hoses to and from divers below).
In retirement, Barb and Gene downsized to Granby, Colo., closer to kids and grandkids. The move immediately expanded their circle of lifelong friends. Gene added a bigger snowplow to his toybox. He was granted a Free Beer for Life card by a major Denver brewery for clearing the brew master's driveway of several feet of snow after the blizzard of 2004.
Gene lost Barb in 2007. He kept hunting, fishing, traveling and making friends. He welded horseshoes into art. He assembled family for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo every January. He loved seeing his grandkids play softball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, and the ukulele.
Eugene Claude (Gene) Merz, 82, passed away peacefully in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 20, 2022, surrounded by family.
In addition to his wife, Gene was also preceded in death by his parents, stepmother Marie, and sisters Alicia McEniry and Marilyn Lowe.
Left to cherish his memory are his brother, Norm (Mary) Merz, sister Maureen (Tobe) Tozier, brothers-in-law Bill McEniry and John Lowe, and step-sister Judy Fouser; his children, Naomi (Mark) Price, Monte (Jenna) Merz, Shane (Lisa) Merz, and Tucker Merz; his godchildren Michael McEniry and Lisa Neuman; and four beloved grandchildren, McKenna Dee, Lucca Louise, Sadie Jane, and Wyatt Gene.
In Monte's words, "He lived full throttle and made mountains of memories... He was a man of faith. He had his forever girl and left four moderately functional and independent kids… He left a legacy."
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Evergreen, Colo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from obituary posted Tuesday, October 11, 2022 Enterprise Publishing, Blair, Nebraska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Memorials may be directed to http://www.studentreach.org/hopecenter
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