5 In memoriam: Robert Louis (Lou) Merrick, 1927-2018 ROBERT LOUIS (LOU) MERRICK, who served Portland State for 28 years and retired as assistant budget director in 1985, died July 24 at his home in Happy Valley. He was 90 years old. Mr. Merrick was born in Portland on September 20, 1927, to Louis J. Merrick and Esther M. Merrick, née Laugeson. He had four sisters: Dorothy, Mary, Jenny, and Joanne. In 1945, after graduation from Grant High School, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and served on the USS Ottawa (AKA101). Mr. Merrick was aboard Ottawa during the first post-war nuclear bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. After receiving an honorable discharge, Mr. Merrick enrolled at the University of Portland, and graduated in 1950. That August he joined the Oregon State System of Higher Education in Corvallis. It was also in 1950 that he married Harriet Marie Mitchell at Madeleine Catholic Church in Portland. In February 1951 Mr. Merrick, a sergeant in the Air National Guard, was called to active duty to serve in the Korean War. He was discharged as staff sergeant and returned to Corvallis. He later became chief accountant for the State Game Commission, in Portland, before accepting a position at Portland State in 1956 as assistant business manager. In 1965 he was appointed as assistant professor and business manager at PSU. Seven years later he was promoted to professor and in 1976 was transferred to the president’s office as assistant director of the budget and internal auditor. Mr. Merrick was a frequent volunteer, using his accounting and business acumen to help a variety of organizations. In 1969 he joined the supervisory committee of Portland Teachers Credit Union (now OnPoint Community Credit Union). He was later elected to the board of directors, serving until his retirement in 2001. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Western Association of College and University Business Managers; chairman of Christ the King Finance Committee; member of the Association of College and University Auditors; treasurer of the Vista View Home Owner Association; and chairman of the general service committee of the State Business Management Association. Mr. Merrick enjoyed books, the outdoors, fishing and hunting, playing handball, and family barbecues and picnics. Later in life he developed a passion for gardening. Mr. Merrick and his wife, Harriet, had two daughters, Harriet and Mary, and a grandson, John “Peter” Merrick. Mr. Merrick cared for his wife through her many years of illness until she died in 2006. Two years later, in 2008, he and Doris Campion were married at Christ the King Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Doris; daughters Harriet and Mary; grandson John; sister Dorothy Tokerud; and step-daughter Debbie Kasnias. Services were held at Christ the King Catholic Church, Milwaukie, on August 2. Remembrances may be sent to Blanchet House, 310 NW Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97209; blanchethouse.org. —Doug Swanson
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