John W. Merrill

John W. "Jack" Merrill, 95, of Manchester died December 19, 2018, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Worcester, MA on November 12, 1923, he was the son of Warren B. and A Maude (Boa) Merrill. He was a graduate of North High School. In 1942, after attending UNH for one semester, Jack joined the Army Air Corp and served as a B-24 pilot in England. In February 1945, while on a bombing mission over Magdeburg, Germany, he was shot down and became a POW until the conclusion of the war in 1945. He returned to UNH after being hospitalized for one and a half years, graduating in 1948. He received many military honors, including the Purple Heart. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

After graduating college, he worked for International Harvester, Truck division, in many New England states, finally settling in Manchester in 1956. He retired from IH in 1978 then worked for Ryder Corp. until retirement at age 65 in 1988.

Jack was an active parishioner of the First Congregational Church, Manchester YMCA, Manchester Country Club, Lions Club and Manchester Chamber of Commerce. He enjoyed playing golf, bridge at the Neighborhood Club, and he found great pleasure at the ocean and beaches of Maine, New Hampshire and Cape Cod. Above all, he will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, cousin and friend.

Family includes his beloved wife of 72 years, Genevieve T. Merrill of Manchester; two daughters, Pamela M. Smith (Chick) of Concord and Barbara M. Austin (Dennis) of Duxbury, MA; four grandchildren; five great grandchildren; and four cousins. He was predeceased by both parents and sister, Anne.
As dad would say to family and friends whenever parting, "Make everyday a good one."

A funeral service was held on Thursday, December 27, 2018 in First Congregational Church, 508 Union St., Manchester. Burial followed at NH State Veterans Cemetery, 110 DW Highway, Boscawen.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: NH State Veterans Cemetery Heritage Learning Center, 110 DW Highway, Boscawen, NH 03303 or American Red Cross, PO Box 37839, Boone IA 50037-0839. To leave a message of condolence please go towww.lambertfuneralhome.com.