He graduated from Mentor High School in 1965 and continued his education with the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif., earning a bachelor’s degree in 1971.
He then spent the next 40 years traveling from California to Mexico to New York City and back to Ohio as a freelance industrial commercial photographer.
“All these things just naturally shaped him to gravitate toward trying to make things better for folks in communities,” said Michele Wood, his wife of 19 years. “He wanted to make a difference and so, set out on many different paths during his journey.”
For his community service, Wood won numerous awards, including City of Middletown Outstanding Service Award, Middletown Area NAACP Louie Cox Image Award, Middletown Historical Society’s President Award and the Philo T. Farnsworth Award.
He served on the City of Middletown Police Advisory Board, chairman of the Park Board, Middletown United Way board, Middletown City Manager Selection Committee member, former executive board member of Middfest International, Downtown Middletown Partnership former board member, Butler County Health Consortium former board member and was a visiting columnist for the Journal-News.
In recent years, Wood and Adriane Scherrer worked extensively to bring a community aquatic center to Middletown. He was founder/director/fundraiser for Sink Or Swim campaign and executive director of Splashdown Middletown.
Eventually, the city of Middletown decided to build an aquatic center at Atrium YMCA.
Wood, who had unsuccessfully run for Middletown Board of Education in 1995, saw a need for a public-educational-government cable access television station. He spent two years leading efforts to raise funds for equipment and to cover operating expenses to start TV Middletown.
He was hired in September 1997 as the station’s first director and served until he resigned in October 2000 for personal reasons.
His wife said she’ll miss how Merrell always wanted to help her and their daughter.
“The last incident I remember is when I was sweeping our carpeted steps with our huge, bulky vacuum cleaner and he stopped me and said, ‘You don’t have to do that. I’ll get out the carpet rake and take care of it for you,‘” she said. “Small gestures. Large heart.”
He is survived by his wife, Michele Wood (Dougherty); daughter Madelyn Adell Wood, son Merrell Wood IV (Tara); stepchildren Stephani Kuth (Bryon), Ryan Wolfe (Amy), Nathaniel Wolfe, Ashleigh Lawson (Josh); sister Diana Dell Sadowski (Wood); niece Della A. Mitchell (Mackey); great nephews Chase Jones and Aryan Konwar and eight grandchildren from Merrell’s and Michele’s blended family.
No funeral arrangements are planned at this time.
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