Obituary of Arthur John Merry

Arthur John Merry

Arthur John Merry, a lifelong resident of Frankfort Hill passed away on Friday, October 22, 2021 at home with his loving family by his side. He was born in Utica on April 5, 1935 the son of the late Carlton W. and Emily Volk Merry. He attended a one room school house on Frankfort Hill and graduated from Proctor High School.  He graduated from SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Agriculture and later received a degree in Programming by taking extensive night school classes. Arthur worked on the family farm until the late 1960’s. He then worked for Mohawk Airlines, in which Arthur and his family enjoyed many trips. Following Mohawk Airlines, he was Manager of Systems Analysis at Oneida Ltd for 25 years.

Arthur met his wife Lorraine square dancing. They enjoyed round and square dancing for over 55 years, traveling to weekend festivals and local dancing.  Once engaged they built their home, with a scenic view of the Mohawk Valley, in 1961.  Arthur and Lorraine were married on March 17, 1962 at the Clinton United Methodist Church.  Arthur was very handy and loved to fix things.  He enjoyed planting trees and flowers to beautify their home.  In retirement he and his wife traveled during the winter months in their RV, their little home on wheels, across the United States and Canada. During the summer months they enjoyed riding their motorcycles throughout the Mohawk Valley and the North Country.  

Arthur was a devoted member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church led by Pastor Anita Mohr.

Arthur is survived by his loving wife Lorraine of 60 years; his cherished daughter Wanda Gorton and her husband Rick and their two daughters Heather Gorton, her boyfriend Stan, and Heidi Gorton; his loving son, Duane and his fiancée Amy Bowerman and their children, Duane Jr. (affectionately known as DJ) and Mackenzie Bowerman; three sisters, Edith Eastman of Deansboro, Jane Chavez of Uvalde, TX, and Ruth Pritchard of Utica; his sister-in-law, Jane Merry of Utica; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Leslie and Janet Erskine of Oswego; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his brother, Melville of Frankfort and his sister, Blanche Anderson of Kerhonkson, NY.

His funeral will be held Saturday morning October 30, 2021 at 10:30 at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 1640 Genesee St, Utica with Pastor Anita Mohr officiating. Family and friends are welcome.  Masks will be required.  Interment will be in Graffenburg Rd. Cemetery at the convenience of the family. His funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the V.J.Iocovozzi Funeral Home, Inc., Frankfort.

Expressions of sympathy may be placed on Arthur’s online memorial page by going to www.iocovozzifuneralhomes.com

Arthur’s family wishes to thank Dr. Sikder and his staff, Dr. Breslow and his staff, and Visiting Nursing Association of Utica and Oneida County for the wonderful care and support provided to Arthur and the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Arthur’s memory may be made to Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 1640 Genesee St, Utica, NY 13502 or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.