Dr. Lloyd Albert Merriman

Dr. Lloyd Albert Merriman DOB: 7/15/1917 in Chicago, IL His family settled in Duluth, MN where his dad, Dr. Lloyd Lewis Merriman was the former Chief of Staff at St. Luke’s Hospital. Dr. Merriman passed away last Monday, April 14th after a long and abundant life of over 91 blessed years. Over the last 8 years of his life, he was taken care of by his grandson, Todd Merriman. As a boy growing up on the North Shore of Lake Superior, he was very active in outdoor sports; bow hunting, fly fishing, and snow skiing. Active in the Boy Scouts, Lloyd earned his Eagle Scout and spent his summers teaching swimming at Boy Scout Camp. It was about this time that Lloyd also discovered a passion for drawing. He painted his first oil painting at the age of 17 and continued to paint, draw, sculpt, carve and create artistry in some way the rest of his life. Intent on a career in the medical field, Lloyd attended Carlton College in Northfield, MN and majored in Chemistry and Zoology. Partly on the strength of his medical illustrations for the Navy Dental Clinics, some of which were published at that time, he was accepted to the University of Minnesota Dental School in 1940. In 1943, Lloyd married Helen Alice Gertrude Lund, who had just earned her BS in medical technology at the University of Minnesota the year before. After graduation, he opened his dental practice in the Medical Arts Building in Duluth down the hall from his dad’s internal medicine practice. Helen and Lloyd had 3 boys while living in Duluth, Doug, Todd and Dan. Lloyd’s early years in dental practice were interrupted while serving in the Navy during WWII and again during the Korean Conflict. Lloyd was stationed in Great Lakes Naval Base in Michigan and later in Barstow, California. Finally, his Naval career brought Lloyd and the family to Parris Island, SC, where their youngest son, Jim was born. Intent on living in a more moderate climate, the Merriman family stayed in the south and moved to Marietta early in 1955 when Lloyd was offered to practice dentistry in the office of Dr. Glenn Reed. When the Lawyers Building, considered one of the first office buildings with air conditioning in Marietta, was built in 1956, Dr. Merriman was one of its first occupants. He practiced there for the next 40 years. Helen worked at Kennestone Hospital as a med tech for 15 years and later volunteered mainly in the oncology department for another 15 years. Known by many as being sort of a renaissance man, Lloyd’s hobbies included bow hunting on Sapelo Island, fly fishing (preferred to tie his own flies), gardening, wine making, rock hunting, jewelry making, wood carving, sculpture, and of course painting especially water colors. He also enjoyed playing the piano his entire life, well into his 80’s. Probably his life’s most extravagant purchase (at least according to Helen, his wife) was a Hammond Organ with an abundance of levers, buttons and dials. Helen and Lloyd together belonged to the German Club, the Norwegian Club and a Square Dancing Club. Above all, the Merriman family liked to go camping, first tent camping and then trailer camping. In 1959, the Merriments owned one of the very first trailers-on-the-back of a truck type camper in the Atlanta area. Frequent camping destinations were, of course, the North Georgia Mountains and Western North Carolina Mountains, but other trips took them as far away as Juarez, Mexico, the north shore of Lake Superior and Montreal, Canada. Over the years Lloyd has served as President of the Art Institute of Duluth, MN, the President of the Marietta Fine Arts Club and Field Trip Chairman for the Cobb County Mineralogy Club. He was also a member of the Marietta Civitan Club and the Golden K Kiwanis Club of Marietta. Lloyd and Helen belonged to the First United Methodist Church of Marietta and to the Progressive Sunday School class. Lloyd is survived by his 4 sons, Douglas Lloyd Merriman, Thomas Charles Merriman, Daniel Bruce Merriman and by James Anthony Merriman. Also, he is survived by 4 grandchildren, Thomas Lane Merriman, Anna Leigh Merriman, Ross Whitten Merriman, and Callie Elizabeth Merriman. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Wellstar Community Hospice, 4040 Hospital West Drive, Austell, GA 30l06. Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home Chapel in Marietta with Rev. Sam Storey, Sr. officiating. Burial will follow at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta. www.mayesward-dobbins.com

Dr. Lloyd Albert Merriman

April 15, 2009