Roy Merryman

Aug. 10, 1918 – Dec. 30, 2011
Roy G. Merryman, 93, passed away peacefully with his children and grandchildren at his side on Dec. 30.
He was born in Cadiz, Ohio on Aug. 10, 1918 to parents Sara Haverfield Merryman and Teddy Merryman.
He graduated from Cadiz High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The Ohio State University in 1941. He began his engineering career with General Motors/Delco in Anderson, Ind. Roy joined the Army in World War II and was assigned to the Army Corp of Engineers, Manhattan District in Los Alamos, where he worked on various engineering projects in support of the development of the first atomic bomb.
After his discharge from the Army, he worked briefly in Los Alamos and returned to Ohio to work in the family business.
Roy married Juliana Hasaka in 1949.  They were happily married until her death in 1987. Roy returned to New Mexico in 1950 to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory where he worked until retiring in 1983. He earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from University of New Mexico in 1963.  
He moved to Albuquerque in 1986 and then to Coppell, Texas in 2008.
Roy lived his life with an optimistic and positive attitude and treated everyone he met with dignity and respect. He had a wonderful, dry sense of humor.
People often said he was a merry man, just like his name. He was always singing or humming. He loved music and was learning to play the clarinet and piano when he was 89.  
He also loved travel and adventure. After retiring, he traveled extensively in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He learned to swim in his 50s and became an avid runner, participating in numerous 5K races and mini—triathlons well into his 70s. He also enjoyed golf and played regularly.
He was preceded in death by his parents Teddy Merryman and Sara Haverfield Merryman, wife Juliana Hasaka Merryman and brother Donald Merryman.
He is survived by his daughters Ruth Merryman and Jane Merryman Brideau (Charles) both of Coppell, Texas; grandchildren Katy Brideau of Alexandria, Va.; and Emily and James Brideau of Coppell, Texas; and sister Jo Ann Daubenspeck of Sparta, Ohio.   
A memorial service will be held in Los Alamos and will be announced at a later date.

Roy Merryman