Merritt, Vincent "Vince" Eugene Obituary

Merritt, Vincent "Vince" Eugene was faculty at Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Merritt, Vincent "vince" Eugene.

School Role	Faculty
Date of Passing	Mar 12, 2012
About	Vincent Eugene (Vince) Merritt, former resident of Elk Grove and educator here for 27 years, died March 12, 2012 in Redding at the age of 96. Mr. Merritt received a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and later attended colleges in California to receive his master’s degree in school administration. His wife said he wanted to teach in California as it was ranked one of the first in education. Then Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools T.R. Smedberg of Elk Grove hired him to teach science at Elk Grove High School, although at the time Mr. Merritt revealed his teaching experience had included only Sunday school. He was an instant hit with his students according to friend Olga Batey, who said he was so well liked by that first group the students would later drive north to Weed and Redding where the family moved, to see him for several years. She commented that Mr. Merritt “thoroughly enjoyed his life in education, especially the time with students. “He was assistant superintendent to T.R., but wound up his career in education back with students at Cosumnes River College. “Vince was such a nice, decent person,” Batey said. “Bob and I and Vince and Ada stayed friends all these years and traveled a lot together.” Mr. Merritt was born Jan. 22, 1916 in Saybrook, Ill. to C.W. and Deniza Merritt. He served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946 as lieutenant and commanding officer of Patrol Craft 1386, a submarine chaser. The family came to Elk Grove in 1949, settling in the Colton tract off Elk Grove Boulevard. He was a member of 48 organizations and served as president or chairman of 11 of them. Besides his parents Mr. Merritt was preceded in death by brothers Charles and Richard. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Ada Merritt of Redding; daughter Ann Duchi and husband Francis also of Redding; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Michael Duchi, wife Sandi and children Mikayla and Jackson of Weed, Anjela Duchi and Bob Simonton of Eugene, Ore., and Ceceli Duchi Wilhelmi and husband Tim of Seattle. A memorial service will be held Friday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Redding followed by a luncheon reception in the church social hall. Remembrances may be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital of Northern California, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817; American Parkinson’s Disease Association, 1355 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. 10305; or First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 992716, Redding, CA 96099.