Obituary of Joel C. Merriman

POTSDAM-- Funeral services for 83 year old Joel C. Merriman, a resident of 347B Pleasant Valley Road, Potsdam, will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Potsdam with Rev. Deborah Packard and Rev. Lee Sweeney presiding. Family and friends may call at the Buck Funeral Home in Norwood on Monday from 7-9 p.m. and again on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Mr. Merriman passed away suddenly on Friday, July 10, 2015 at his home. Joel is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty, Potsdam; two sons, Charles and Donna Merriman, Potsdam; Richard Merriman, Norfolk; his daughter, Ranota Hewitson, Potsdam; eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Joel was pre-deceased by a sister, Carly Newell and a brother at infancy. Born in Ogdensburg, NY on March 24, 1932 to the late Charlie and Vera Clancy Merriman, Joel graduated from high school and received his associates degree. He married Betty G. White on June 5, 1954. He entered the U.S. Army and served with the Signal Corps. Upon his return from the service, Joel and his wife owned and operated J.C. Merriman Inc. in Norwood. Joel was very active in the community throughout the years, serving as a town councilman and town supervisor for the Town of Potsdam, he was an accomplished member of the Norwood Kiwanis club, where he served as past president, past lieutenant governor and he was very instrumental in starting the Indian River Kiwanis Club. He was a member of North County Supply where he also served on the Board of Directors, he was a lifetime member of the Potsdam Elks Club and also a member of the French Pond Outing Club and a longtime member of the Weller Mountain Fish and Game Club. Joel was also a member of the Casa Clara Condo Association in Key Colony Beach, FL. and Joel served on the advisory board for Key Bank in Potsdam and the Board of Directors for the First National Bank of Norfolk. In his spare time, Joel enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and tennis, in which he was very good. As a child and teenager, Joel spent his summers in Michigan with his cousins and he was proud that he held the Hi-Jump record at the Potsdam High School for many, many years. In 2001, Joel received from the Northern New York Lumber Dealers Association the highest honor given, the “Lumber Person of the Year” award. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that Memorial Donation’s in Joel’s memory be made to the Potsdam Rescue Squad, the Norwood Kiwanis Club or to the Riverside Cemetery Association, Norwood. Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com . The Buck Funeral Home in Norwood is serving the family of Joel C. Merriman.