Aubrey Thomas Merritt Jr.

Aubrey Thomas Merritt Jr., 72 years of age went home to be with our precious Lord on the evening of 27 September 2019 after collapsing at home. All efforts to resuscitate him at home, on the ambulance and in the ER of University Medical Center were futile. Our Lord needed him in heaven and thus took him home.

He was born on 11 February 1947 in Winston-Salem, NC, as the first born and oldest son to Aubrey T. Merritt Sr. and Lillian Carver Merritt. Friends and family called him “Tommy” or “Tom” and this is his story.

Tom had four brothers born after him and a sister making him the oldest among his siblings. Named chronologically there was Tom, Bobby, Jimmy, Ricky, Harvey and Jeanne Merritt.

Tom is survived by his wife of 40 years, Mary G. Merritt, a son, Andrew T. Merritt, two daughters, Mary Elizabeth (Lisa) and Lillian Elvira (Elvie). He has three grandsons, two from his son Andrew and one from his late daughter, Deidra Bodenheimer. Deidra passed away in 2017. Also gone before him are both his parents and his four younger brothers.

Tom was drafted into the U.S. Army at the tender age of 18 in 1966 and shortly thereafter was assigned to serve as a medic with an infantry unit in Vietnam. He was there as a medic and a guardian angel taking care of the mangled bodies of the dead and the wounded soldiers calling out for help by calling out to Tom as “Doc” out in the field (war zone) and helped save lives as life rounds of fire were flying all around him. It was God out there with him during those perilous times that protected him so he could tend to what he did best, take care of others especially the wounded and those suffering in pain.

During Tom’s Vietnam service, his daughter Deidra was born from his first marriage. Married too young and away from home the marriage fell apart and so later during a tour in Berlin, Germany he met his second wife that gave birth to Andrew. Because of differences in the marriage that could not be reconciled that marriage was dissolved as well.

Tom served four years of service in Seoul, So. Korea. During his last two years of service in conjunction with Mary (his current wife) and also a medic in the Army, worked at the 121st Evac Hospital in Seoul. Between the years of 1979 and 1981, Tom and Mary adopted their two precious infant daughters and brought them back to the states and were naturalized as US citizens in El Paso. Mary gave up Army life to be a stay at home Mom and Tom continued his military career and was assigned to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and served his last seven years of active duty at that hospital.

Tom served as a nurse for 23 years and retired as SFC (E7) from active duty on May 1988. The last position that he held was that of a Ward Master at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. However, due to difficult financial needs at that time Tom also worked a second job at what used to be Southwestern General Hospital that was located at that time (and its building is still there) on Murchison Rd., in El Paso. He worked as a Licensed Nurse in the Intensive care unit and later went on to also do Home Health Care for Ed Wells and worked performing administrative functions such as QA (quality of care) and ensure all policies and procedures were adhered to and met the highest standard set forth by Medicare and JACHO for accreditation purposes and making sure quality care was always provided for their patients. He absolutely loved his job!

Tom unable to sit still for too long, along with Mary, started a small business and called it “Earth’s Treasure”. It entailed buying and selling semi-precious stones along with other clear quartz stones and wire-wrapped jewelry. Just as the business started to give fruit, Tom was diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer due to exposure Agent Orange in Vietnam. The doctors gave him a year to live, but against all odds because of his faith in our Lord and positive attitude he was healed and lived not one year after cancer but 16 years. Unfortunately, other long-term illnesses started to set in, some due to hereditary genetics.

But Tom was a fighter a very strong-willed person who didn’t give up without a fight. He loved God and gave his all when he accepted our Lord Jesus as his Lord and Savior followed in baptism by submersion not once but twice. First in Korea by a Protestant Chaplin and later at Cielo Vista Baptist church at El Paso.

He absolutely adored his wife (Mary) and family and always provided and met their needs in every way possible. Mary would say that some of her own accomplishments were because of Tom who supported her decisions and as the song says he was the Wind beneath her Wings. He was extremely sharp and very intelligent. He could be your best friend once you got to know him but he was very reserved and enjoyed his privacy.

He was extremely proud of being a soldier and loved our flag and country. He was a very tender loving and faithful husband and father and so it is by God’s Grace that we that loved him will continue to love him and remember him in our hearts, souls and minds.

Today we celebrate his life and thank God for the time he was able to share his life with us that remain behind. We also thank God and pray that Tom will always live on in our memories during moments of silence and prayer.

He loved country and western music, but learned to love Tex-Mex too. He loved Southern foods but also learned to love Mexican cuisine. He enjoyed fishing, and he loved animals, especially cats and dogs and treated them as children. He loved life but was a very private person and preferred not to disclose his pain and suffering in the presence of others.

We thank God that Tom has now been set free of his pain and all his suffering and I (Mary) that knew him better than he even knew himself sometimes, know without any doubts that he is now in the presence of our Lord Jesus and has reunited with friends and family that received him I’m sure with love and gladness.