Robert “Bob” Duane Merrill, 75, of Sheridan, Indiana, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2024. Several years ago, Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. While Alzheimer’s is incurable, Bob outsmarted the terrible disease by suffering a stroke while visiting family on Bainbridge Island, Washington. While most strokes are tragic, his was a stroke of fortune, as it allowed him to be surrounded by his loved ones in his final hours and to sidestep some of the worst symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Bob was born at Witham Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, Indiana on January 25, 1948 to the late Donald Merrill and Dorothy (Staton) Merrill. Bob and his older siblings, Gene Merrill and Patty Merrill, attended Lebanon High School where Bob was a member of the wrestling team. Decades later, his many grandkids would regularly test his wrestling skills, which always remained sharp. Bob graduated from Lebanon High School in 1966. A serial entrepreneur since high school, Bob purchased the B&B Tavern in Jamestown, Indiana around 1970. In the mid-1980s, he branched into movie rental stores in Jamestown and Lebanon, before later expanding into collectible sports card stores throughout Lebanon and Indianapolis. By the early 1990s, he was one of the largest sports cards dealers in the state of Indiana. His love of fixing things later led him into commercial real estate, where he owned and managed properties throughout the Indianapolis area; there was no maintenance detail too small for him to not do himself. In 1973, a shoeless girl strolled into his bar, but he refused to serve her without first seeing her identification. This was simply a ruse to get her name and to ask her on a date. Her older brother, the late Larry Gearld, warned her not to go out with Bob Merrill. Despite the stern warning, and despite his picking her up in a car full of junk while wearing striped pants, she went anyway. Fifty-one years later, Debbie would be by his side when he took his last breath. Bob is survived by his wife Debbie, his sons Travis (Christine) Merrill and Robert (Ariel) Merrill, Jr., as well as seven grandchildren and a great grandson who adored their Papaw. He was preceded in death by his daughter Angie. Bob loved adventure, and was always up for anything, whether it be a trip to Menards or a trip to Tokyo. He traveled widely and no matter where he was, he had an uncanny knack for finding people with ties to Indiana. Unless the Colts were playing, he could not sit still for very long. He loved to move – whether it was an hours-long walk, practicing yoga, playing ball with one of his beloved dogs, or working in the yard. While providing generously for everyone around him, he primarily drove a 15-year-old Honda CRV with a broken passenger door that didn’t open, no air conditioning, ungodly mileage, and a pink flamingo sitting in the passenger seat whose only purpose was to make people laugh. Memorial Services are planned for 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024, at Myers Mortuary, 1502 North Lebanon Street, in Lebanon, Indiana. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of services. Friends and family will also gather at Booker’s Bar & Grill around 1:00 p.m. in Kirklin, Indiana to share memories about Bob and to raise a toast to a life lived fully.
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