Philip Byron Merrick

Philip Byron Merrick, Col., Ret., age 90, passed away peacefully in the presence of his family on February 11, 2022, at Patriots Colony in Williamsburg, Virginia. Phil was born in Montezuma, Iowa, on October 12, 1931, to a wonderful mother and veterinarian father. His family would later move to Western Springs, Illinois. Phil would attend local schools eventually graduating from Fenwick Catholic Prep High School. He would go on to receive his bachelor’s degree in history at what is now known as the University of Southern Mississippi. Phil was the quintessential measure of a soldier, husband, father, friend, provider and mentor. As a result of his love, friendship and sharing of his time, he made a deep and lasting impact on many lives and the world in which he lived. Phil Merrick first joined military service in 1949 as a tank crewman with the Illinois National Guard. He entered the U.S. Army in 1952 with the 7th Armored Division at Camp Roberts, California. He was offered an opportunity to enrolled into the Officer Candidate School in 1954 and graduated as Commissioned Infantry Officer in April of that year. He would later graduate from the U.S. Command and General Staff. His first duty was as a crew served weapons instructor at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. Subsequent assignments would include leadership positions within the United States, Republic of Korea, Germany, what was then Yugoslavia, and Vietnam. He served as a company commander in Korea, Assistant Secretary General staff for the 7th Army and a company commander with the 10th Special Forces in Germany, Aide-de-Camp to Commanding General 7th Army and staff officer of the Foreign Liaison Office of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Receiving his jump wings, Phil was attached to the 101st Airborne Division, 506 Infantry Regiment, Easy Company which became famous as the “Band of Brothers-Curahees” from WWII. Phil would attend annual reunions of the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association. During the war in Southeast Asia, Phil was a company commander of the 5th Special Forces Group, Rha Trang and Moc Hoa, Republic of Vietnam. He became a member of the Strategic Army Corps Sport Parachute Team, a precursor to the Golden Knights. Phil would join his team members in exhibitions and competition throughout the world including a duty assignment in Yugoslavia. His awards and decorations included: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star, Bronze Star with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnam Civil Action Medal 1st Class, Vietnamese Parachute Wings, Cambodian Parachute Wings, Army General Staff Identification Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, National Defense Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, Air Medal (4 Awards and 1 V Device), Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and Legion of Merit. Upon retiring from the military, Phil began a fulfilling career in the hospitality industry. He was the General Manager of the nine story Chamberlin Hotel overlooking historic Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. Phil would move to Williamsburg, Virginia and oversee the management of several hotels. In 1990, he founded Colonial Connections from a room above his garage. A unique tour company created for students from middle school through high school, Colonial Connections would create memorable experiences for thousands of students exploring America’s historical sites in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Williamsburg. Phil would later sell the company to his friend and longtime employee, Sophia Harler. Phil’s passion was his family and service to community. As a husband, father, and grandfather, he enjoyed making memories with those he loved, constantly working on the next family gathering and vacation. He volunteered more than 40 years of service to the Lion’s Clubs of Hampton, Williamsburg, New Town and James City. As a result of that commitment, he was presented the Melvin Jones Fellow Award from the Lion’s Club International Foundation for “Dedicated Humanitarian Services”. He was also a devoted member of the Salvation Army for more than 30 years and was a committed annual “Bell Ringer” and a longtime advisory board member. A resident of Patriots Colony in Williamsburg, Virginia, a retirement community for military officers and executive federal employees, Phil served on the board of directors with distinction from 1999-2007. His memberships included the Military Officers Association of America, and SKAL, a professional association of tourism leaders around the world. He was a sponsor in the creation of the National Museum of the United States Army. Phil married Francine Marie Chlada in Illinois in 1953. They spent 43 years together until her passing in 1996. Francine was a loving and devoted wife and mother to their daughters, Blair Alexandra Merrick and Samantha Marie Merrick. Francine understood the demands of Army life and together they would create homes in various locales across America and overseas. Blair, the elder sister would engage in various leadership positions and continues to be successful as a business owner. She and son Dakota spent many wonderful years with their beloved father and grandfather and were of great comfort to Phil in the last months of his life. Samantha would become a leader in the hotel business. She married Larry Mahoney in 2007 and together they shared their time between Boston, Cape Cod and Florida. Samantha would sadly predecease her father passing away in 2019 after a 4 ½ year battle with Leiomyosarcoma cancer. Phil continued to work after the passing of Francine. Never losing his enthusiasm for travel, Phil, at age 70 shipped a Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) motorcycle to Germany in May of 2002 and traveled for three months throughout Europe staying with friends, in hostels and camping out. Phil’s daily logs to family resulted in a lengthy digest of his experiences. His passion for golf resulted in notable “tee offs” at Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and St Andrews in Scotland with his brother John. His membership at the Williamsburg National Golf Club included nailing a hole-in-one on July 7, 2008, at the 8th hole. A week prior to September 11, 2001, Phil would meet Phyllis Joann Green in New York City. Phyllis was working in Manhattan at the time. The two had met previously in Williamsburg, Virginia working in the hospitality business. After a wonderful courtship, “Phil and Phyl” would marry on June 6, 2003, under an old oak tree at Harbor Point, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Their Williamsburg friends, Lynn and Dick Schreiber, were by their side. Phil and Phyllis traveled the world. They cruised the oceans, biked through Tuscany, rode elephants in Burma, visited historic Russia, attended military and hospitality reunions and hosted many family vacations in the U.S. and overseas. In 2005 they spent a week in Detroit, Michigan constructing a home for a single woman and her children during the annual Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity Work Project. The two in their 70s, lived in a dormitory at Wayne State University. In 2008 they took off from Williamsburg in their two seat Mini-Cooper convertible for California for the “Mini Takes the States” tour. After visits with friends and families along the way, the two arrived in Monterey, California and linked up with a hundred-plus other Mini-Coopers. Together the troop traveled a portion of historic Route 66, took two spins around the Indianapolis Speedway track and ended the trip in New Jersey. Phil and Phyllis enjoyed volunteering together with the Lion’s Club, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity. Theirs was 18 years of traveling, giving back to community, love and commitment. Phyllis’ children, Michael (Karen), Linda and Michelle; grandchildren, Shannon (Brad), Britt (Sean), Kevin, Alexis, Michael (Jaclyn), Alexandra (Christopher), and Kali (Landon); great-grandchildren, Pepper, Sean, Christopher and Camille; and friend, Kathy Larkey Green, had the pleasure of Phil’s presence, wisdom and travel. Of special note among the many friends Phil made was Kris McMahon Kusak, who had a 57-year friendship with the Merrick family. Kris met then Captain Phil in Stuttgart, Germany. She was the daughter of Major William J. McMahon, Phil’s friend. She would become the trusted babysitter to Blair for Phil and Francine during his tour of duty in Germany and later for both Blair and Samantha in Washington D.C. After the death of Kris’ first husband, she married Chuck Kusak and together they would travel annually with Phil, Phyllis, Samantha and Larry for long weekend jaunts around the country. In addition to Samantha, Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Andrew and Dorothy Santee Merrick; brother, Dr. John. W. Merrick; sisters, Dr. Margaret A. Scheffelin and Susan Merrick Creamer; and nephews, Dr. William A. Merrick, Joseph Scheffelin; and niece, Peggy Merrick Auxier. Along with daughter Blair, grandson Dakota Jensen Porter (Kristen Leonard) and son-in-law Larry Mahoney, Phil leaves numerous extended members of the Merrick family to whom he loved immeasurably. Phil’s family extends its deep appreciation and love for the staff of Patriots Colony for their friendship and service, Darlene High of Chesapeake Bank, Patriots Colony Chaplain Travis Greenman, and his many health care providers for their professionalism and genuine care including, Dr. Rocco Basciano and his staff, Debbie, Betty, Melissa, and doctors Kathleen Tylman, Lawrence Volz, William Beneke, Anh Campbell, Michael Landis, Eric Hecker, Hospice of Riverside Hospital, Common Wise Home Care, to his military and community colleagues who joined hands in service together. Lastly, special thanks to Phil’s nephew Buzz Merrick for his compassion, artistic contributions, and technical expertise, and to Larry Mahoney for his constant oversight over Phil and Phyllis’ financial wellbeing for the last five years. A celebration of his life will be held at the Nelsen Funeral Home, Williamsburg, Virginia on Saturday, April 2nd at 1:00 p.m. with a reception afterward. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, a donation to any of the following in Phil’s memory would be very much appreciated: Salvation Army of Williamsburg, VA, 216 Ironbound Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188 (www.salvationarmypotomac.org/); James City Lion’s Club, P.O. Box 515, Lightfoot, Virginia 23090 (www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/james_city/); Williamsburg Host Lion’s Club, PO Box 753, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/williamsburg_host/); or Dana-Farber and Dr. Suzanne George’s Research Fund (in memory of Samantha Merrick Mahoney), P.O Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 (www.danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/samanthamahoney). Online condolences may be shared at www.NelsenWilliamsburg.com.