Martin Merrell

Martin Hugo Merrell, aged 72, died March 30, 2023 in a home he built himself in the Mackinaw River Valley in Tazewell County, Illinois.  He was surrounded by his wife, daughter, grandchildren and nieces. 

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sherry; two daughters, Megan (Rob) Steier of Mackinaw, Illinois and Marnie (Derec) Baxter of Chatham, Illinois; and eight grandchildren, Arden, Zeke, Rah, Abi, Luke, Louisa, Sylvia and Silas.  He is also survived by his sister Marcia Neel of Crawfordsville and his brother Phil Merrell of San Francisco, as well as a vast network of friends who made up the fabric of his life.

Martin spent his youth on his family’s land at the top of Covington Hill and along the banks of Sugar Creek.  He came of age at the Crawfordsville Airport and Drive-In restaurant which his parents Bob and Lois managed from 1959 to 1968.  He met his future wife there when she became employed as a carhop.  Martin graduated from New Market High School as salutatorian in 1969, where he made lifelong memories competing as a Purple Flyer in basketball and pole vaulting.  After high school he studied Civil Engineering at Ball State and Purdue before eventually finding his career path as a freight train conductor with Norfolk Southern Railroad. 

During his 30 years of service with the railroad, Martin was an avid union man who believed every person should have the right to earn a fair wage to support their family.  He took pride in mentoring new railroaders and took great pleasure in seeing the “young heads” succeed.

In his personal life, Martin will be remembered as the guy who made any gathering more fun and made everyone feel welcome.  He knew the funniest jokes, the best magic tricks, the most ridiculous stories and the silliest campfire games.  He never saw a bonfire that didn’t need another log.  May his “chimley” fires live on in legend.  He enjoyed a great number of recreational activities and loved to compete with friends in pool, ping-pong, golf, horseshoes, cards, and croquet. 

A lifelong outdoorsman, Martin spent many seasons hunting deer and turkey with family and friends.  He taught his grandchildren to find morels and insisted that they pick the horsenecks for the count.  He enjoyed fishing except when he accidentally caught bull frogs.  Martin had especially fond memories of times spent with buddies hunting elk in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, snowmobiling in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, and riding through the Black Hills of South Dakota on his Indian Chief motorcycle. 

In his later years, Martin settled into a long beard and mustache look that resembled Yosemite Sam.  The gruff exterior belied the gentleness within him.  He kept close ties with his many friends through the years and fretted over their tribulations.  He had the utmost respect for the experience and expertise of his elders, and he worked hard to impart his knowledge to the next generation.  He was a deeply patriotic man who believed in the values of our country and was grateful for and awed by the sacrifices made by our military men and women.  He was generous and kind to friends and strangers alike, and he judged people on merit rather than bias.  He loved old Westerns and was nostalgic for the time when neighbors did right by each other and could disagree with politeness and respect.  Most of all, he was the best kind of loyal – one who saw the failures of his family and friends as anomalies and their successes as proof of their fine character. 

Loved ones will remember his colorful language and creative slang, his quick temper, and his inability to do a single damn thing in moderation.  He burned too hot and left us too soon, but it was wonderful to stand for a time in the glow of his flame.  

Martin did not wish to have a funeral service and hoped that people would remember him as he was in life.  Haensel-Oswald Funeral Home in Mackinaw is handling the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation in Martin’s name to St. Jude Partners in Hope.

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