LEE, NY – Edward Carlton Merrill of the Town of Lee, NY passed away peacefully surrounded by many family members on April 14, 2024 and received kind exceptional care from the staff at the Oneida Health Hospital.

Ed was born April 24, 1947 to Edgar E. Merrill and Margaret B. Merrill of South Waterford, Maine. He grew up at the Merrill Farm and from a young age enjoyed farm life, raising livestock, training working steers, hunting, fishing, wood cutting and other farm related activities. He had a love for horses and worked at the McDaniels’ Riding stable as a teenager.

He attended Waterford Memorial School, kindergarten through eighth grade and graduated from Oxford Hills High School in 1965. After high school he worked harvesting wood and delivered lumber products produced from the Jones Sawmill in North Waterford, Maine.

In 1966 Ed enlisted in the United States Air Force and trained as an Aircraft Armament Systems Technician. He was deployed to southeast Asia for two tours of duty during the Vietnam conflict. Near the end of his career in the Air Force, he was stationed at Griffiss Air Base in Rome, New York as a part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) which provided oversight and defense capability to the northeast area of the United States. Ed oversaw many men throughout his twenty years in the Air Force and even after all this time, the brotherhood established held firm. He was in constant contact with Air Force compatriots who respected and honored him. He retired with the rank of Master Sergeant in 1986.

After retirement from the Air Force, Ed was employed as a mechanic at Clemente Fane Concrete. There he was involved with maintenance and repair of transit mix concrete trucks and other heavy equipment that supported the transit mix industry.

Upon full retirement, he could be found working at his farm in Lee Center, New York where he raised beef cattle, cut firewood, produced hay and raised vegetables in his garden. If he was outside he was happy, working the land, doing daily chores and he truly enjoyed his work. Ed had a great sense of humor and an ability to make others laugh. His love for others, storytelling, jokes and general conversations were gifted character traits. Ed had many talents and successes to be proud of and his proudest times were with family and friends. He was a loving husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend to all he knew. He will be sadly missed in daily life but the lessons he taught and relationships he inspired will never be forgotten.

Ed is survived by his devoted wife of 26 years, Sharon Summer Merrill; daughters, Christina (Greg) Walker of Centennial, Colo., Stacy Merrill (Pete Thomson) of Jamesville, NY, Anna Roser of Fayetteville, NY, Kate (David) Langlois of West Orange, NJ, and Tess Amadeu of Kalamazoo, Mich.; brothers, Robert (Beth) Merrill, Beebe, Ark., Russell (Martha) Merrill, Harrison, Maine, Raymond (Dorene) Merrill, South Waterford, Maine, William (Penny) Merrill, South Paris, Maine, and James Merrill (Pam), Waterford, Maine.

He is also survived by his sisters, Elizabeth (Don) Ouellette, North Eastham, Mass., Jane Jones, Norway, Maine, Shirley Merrill, South Waterford, Maine, Mary Delamater, Oxford, Maine, Cynthia (Richard) Merrill, Concord, NH, Gail Merrill, South Waterford, Maine, Karen (Herb) Hill, Norway, Maine, and Marcia (John) Butters, Waterford, Maine. He leaves his grandchildren, Isabel Thomson, Lila Thomson, Walker Thomson and Ellis Thomson; Zakary Roser, Aiden Roser, Lukas Roser and Max Roser; Mateo Langlois and Naya Langlois; Lenin Erskine and Iris Erskine; many nieces and nephews; and his friends Virginia and Donna Neiss.

Ed was predeceased by his parents, Edgar E. Merrill and Margaret B. Merrill; brother, Richard Merrill, brother-in-law, Robert Jones, sister-in-law Cynthia Reams Merrill; and best friend, Steve Dutch.

In keeping with Ed’s wishes, there will be no funeral arrangements and a Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2024, Armed Forces Day at the Lee Town Hall, 5808 Stokes Lee Center Road, Lee Center, NY at 1:00 p.m. Services have been entrusted to Strong-Burns & Sprock Funeral Home, strong-burnsandsprock.com, Rome, New York.

In lieu of flowers,

it is requested that contributions be made to:

American Lung

Association

55 West Wacker Rd.

Ste. 1150

Chicago, IL 60601 or:

American Legion,

Lee Legion Post 1794

9025 Veterans Memorial Pkwy

Lee Center, NY 13363.

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