Mark Merryman

Mark Winthrop Merryman, age 68, of Grandville, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 11, 2017. Born December 13, 1948, he was the only son of Theodore and Audrey (Cooley) Merryman of Grand Rapids.  Mark possessed a quirky sense of humor and enjoyed spending time with his friends and family, which he often punctuated with witty one-liners and random bouts of singing.  He enjoyed traveling a great deal, but his later years made it impossible so he transitioned to bringing adventures to himself through his love of reading.  Mark would always be available for a conversation on any subject, whether it be a political or religious debate or just some friendly advice; his recommendation for any situation was usually to “take the day off”.  He is survived by his wife, Marcella “Sally” Merryman; children, David Merryman of Bothell, WA and Nicole (Myles) Eisbrenner of Grand Rapids; grandson, Alexander “Xander” Sullivan of Grandville; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Ray VandenToorn, Kathy (Larry) Oppenhuizen, Jeff (Lydia) VandenToorn; many cousins and nieces and nephews.  Mark is also survived by those he considered his second family, Les (Lenore) Schwerman, Barb (TJ) Lester, and Tonya (Jeff) Rick, also known as “those people from Ohio”.  At Mark’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a celebration of his life will take place at a later date.