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Terrence Joseph (Terry) Merkel

Posted 2019-06-11 by Judy Wight Branson
Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home, Prescott, Arizona
Friday, May 31, 2019

Terrence Joseph Merkel passed away in Prescott, AZ on May 28, 2019.
He was born in Cleveland, OH to Albert and Marian Meckelberg.

Terry is survived by his loving and dedicated wife Louise Merkel,
nieces Christine (Rob) Evers and Annie Jarabek, and grandnieces
Danica Evers, Alexandra (Hrvoje) Viduc, and Erica Evers.

Terry was a professional fisheries biologist. He worked with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service in various locations throughout his career,
primarily in the Southwest and on Indian reservations. He received
his B.S. degree in biology from the University of San Francisco and
his M.S. in zoology at the University of California Berkeley.

After his retirement he retired to Flagstaff, AZ with his wife and
volunteered for more than 20 years in the zoology department at the
Museum of Northern Arizona where he received many awards including
Museum Fellow and the J. Ferrell Colton Outstanding Alumni Award for
staff. In 2014, the museum named the Terrence Merkel Zoology
Laboratory in his honor for his many contributions promoting the
understanding and archival preservation of the biodiversity of the
Colorado Plateau in relation to Western North America. Terry also
received a certificate and plaque from the Chairman of the Navajo
Nation in recognition and appreciation of his years of service in
fishery management.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Terry’s name to
the Museum of Northern Arizona.




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