Mervyn John Willie

Mervyn John Willie
Mervyn John Willie passed away September 28,2006 at
the Logan Regional Hospital with his family at his
side. He was born January 19, 1925 in Mendon, Utah to
Allen Leroy and Ethel Almanda Hill Willie. He was
raised in Mendon and graduated from South Cache High
School. Mervyn served in the armed forces during World
War II as an artillery man in the South Pacific. After
his release from the military in 1946, he continued
his life long pursuit of learning. He graduated from
the Utah Agricultural College with a degree in
English. On June 21, 1948 he married Hedda Margene
Jensen in the Logan LDS Temple. He was a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mervyn was always a farmer and loved the land. He
always had cows on the farm and in the early years of
his farming career he also had chickens by the
hundreds in every coop on the farm. Mervyn knew the
soil and could tell by a touch of the hand when it was
time to plant. He enjoyed a good crop of hay or grain
and fought a pretty good battle with the sand hill
cranes to see who would harvest the crop first. He and
his sons operated the Willie Dairy. When he didn't
show up at the barn to milk last Tuesday everyone knew
there was something seriously wrong.
Mervyn and his loving wife Margene were married for 58
years and loved to take so time away from the farm and
see a new movie and just enjoy each others company.
They lived in the same home in Mendon their entire
married life.
Mervyn worked as a technical writer at Dugway Proving
Grounds, Hill Air Force Base, and Thiokol. He also
taught school in Mendon and was pleased to see a
school coming back to Mendon. He frequently quoted the
saying:
"A town without a school and a store isn't much of a
town anymore." During his technical writing years he
always kept the farming operation alive with his
children learning to milk the cows and harvest the
crops under his direction.
Mervyn loved a good game of checkers, or chess and
offered a reward to any of the grandchildren who could
beat him at checkers. He was always learning and
keeping every one on their toes. If someone came to
visit, there was always a trivia question waiting to
be answered or a trick game to be
played. He loved to play cards and taught the grand
children to play Rook and a very competitive game of
ping pong. He founded the Willie Family Ping Pong
Tournament and claimed the traveling trophy for many
years until he reluctantly relinquished it to his
children and grandchildren.
Mervyn never traveled far from Mendon except through
his books. Probably more than anything, Mervyn loved
to read. He was conversant in politics, history,
geography and science because of the things he read.
Wallace Stegner, Earnest Hemmingway and Robert Frost
were some of his favorite authors. At the time of his
death he was thoroughly engrossed in Carl Sagan's book
Cosmos and felt that it should be required reading for
everyone. When his children were growing up he seldom
went out to milk until 9 or 10 p.m. because he so
enjoyed doing homework or playing games with his kids.
He was characteristically quiet and reserved and
enjoyed simple things. He possessed an incredible set
of values. His gentle manner, his sense of humor and
love for all things that were good in life will be
cherished forever. He loved his family and made it
possible for each of his children to receive their
college education.
He is survived by his wife Margene, and four children:
Mary Jean (Ron) Campbell, Paul (Kim) Willie, Dean
Willie, all of Mendon, David (Melanie) Willie of
Highland, a sister, Edna Eldredge of Moreland, Idaho,
and grandchildren: Kent Campbell, Robert Campbell,
Camille Randall, Katherine Child, Kristine Willie,
Leslie Soelberg, Janna Willie, Brent Willie, Preston
Willie, Connor Willie and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two infant brothers and
his parents.
Funeral services will be held Monday, October 2, 2006
in the MendonlPetersboro LDS chapel at 12:00 noon. A
viewing will be held Sunday, October 1st from 6:30 to
8:00 p.m. at the Allen Hall Mortuary. and also prior
to the funeral from 10:30 to 11 :30 a.m. at the
Mendon/Petersboro church building. Interment will be
in the Mendon City Cemetery. Condolences may be
extended to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net