William Mercer

William M. “Bill” Mercer, 85, passed away peacefully while surrounded by family; he entered into eternal rest on Friday, January 27, 2012. He will be greatly missed by his family, but he will live on forever in their hearts through their treasured memories. Born March 21, 1926, in Globe to John F. Mercer, Sr. and Christina Moelich Mercer, Bill attended school in Globe and graduated from Globe High School in 1943. He loved music and played the trombone in the Globe High School band; a highlight was traveling to San Francisco and performing at the World’s Fair. Following school, he played in city bands and sang in church choirs. Bill knew Margaret Szyperski while they were growing up because both their families attended Holy Angels Church in Globe. Bill took Margaret to her senior prom in 1945. Their romance blossomed, and they were married on November 21, 1946. They demonstrated their loving commitment to each other in spite of any hardships throughout their 65 years together. They renewed their wedding vows at St. Therese’s Chapel on their 64th anniversary in 2010. During his senior year of high school and following graduation, Bill ran the dairy farm his parents owned on the Salt River on the road to Young. The couple resided at the farm during their first years of marriage and purchased it from his parents in 1948. They expanded it from dairy only by leveling fields and raising crops for hay. Their first son, Mike, was born the day before their second wedding anniversary. In 1950, Bill began working for Gila County’s road construction crew. By 1953 they had three children. They purchased their home in Globe to raise their family so their children could attend school without a long daily trip on a dirt road to a one-room schoolhouse in Roosevelt. After moving to Globe, Bill began working as a mechanic/operator for Mercer Construction Company and retired in 1982. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Union Local 428. He enjoyed taking pictures and movies of the various mining jobs and sharing them with his family. His children especially enjoyed when he reversed the blasting sequences in the movies so the exploded dirt returned to its original state. The couple continued to work the farm on weekends during these years. Although they discontinued the dairy farming, they added pecan orchards, raised cattle, and boarded horses. They further developed the property by adding a grocery store/gas station, Rock House Grocery, which they opened in 1963; it is still in operation today. They leveled some of the land for trailer spaces and expanded the trailer park over the years. When travelers were stranded on dirt roads near the Salt River, Bill towed them out with his tractor or repaired mechanical problems on their vehicle regardless of any inconvenience to himself at the time. As a sideline, Bill also butchered beef as well as game animals for hunters. Holy Angels School was very important to Bill. He helped with its construction in 1956-57 and performed various repair work for the school while it was open. Additional volunteer work for the school included driving the bus that carried students to out-of-town events. He was an active member of the Catholic Church, including membership in the Knights of Columbus and singing in choirs. He was one of the first members of St. Therese’s Chapel in Roosevelt and lived his faith by setting the example of loving thy neighbor. Bill was an excellent role model for his family whom he loved, enjoyed, and put foremost in his life. Though he was always soft-spoken, the sparkle in his laughing eyes when he was with his cherished family spoke volumes about how happy he was to be with his loved ones. His hobbies included hunting, archaeology, photography, oil painting, glass etching, and music. Family gatherings and outings, sunrises, sunsets, flowers, the beauty of nature, mining jobs, and archaeological sites were favorite subjects for his photography and art work. He was active in the Gila County Cattle Growers Association and served as president of the Salado Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Association. Travel included trips to England for the birth of his first grandson, Ireland, Hawaii, California, Michigan, and the Washington D.C. area, as well as archaeological trips to sites in Arizona, Colorado, and Mexico. He attended excavation of some sites in the local area that were Arizona State University projects. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Margaret, and their ten children: Mike Mercer (Carol), Tim Mercer (Mary), and Alice Lopez (Richard) of California; Pat England (Keith), Joe Mercer, Mary Hawkins (Gene), and Christina “T.J.” Tanner (Forrest) of Globe; Charlie Mercer (Grace) of Tucson; Ellie Krolick (Dave) of Texas; and David Mercer (Pam) of Colorado; and nephew, Robert Clinger (Clairette) of Scottsdale and numerous other nieces and nephews. He is survived by 29 grandchildren: Diane Mercer, Michele Benney (Kevin), Brian England, Kevin England, Mark England (Jessica), Paul England, Joy Jimenez (Marcos), Rebekah Hockaday (Marvin), Kourtney Gonzales (Michael), Kurissa Mercer, Russell Hawkins, Ted Hawkins (Barb), Becky Hawkins, Kristin Lowe (Dan), Mandy Francisco (Michael), Jessica Strickland, Sean Lopez, Shelley Lopez, Michael Lopez, Matthew Lopez, Ricardo Lopez, Tiffany Dwyer (Daniel), Elizabeth Mercer, Stephen Krolick, Ryan Krolick, Dalton Mercer, Derek Mercer, Darian Mercer, and Danaka Mercer. Bill is also survived by 33 great-grandchildren: Nathan and Megan Benney; Jaela, Logan, and Kyler England; Joseph, Antonio, Jazmyn, and Alyssa Jimenez; Jared, Aaron, and Aimee Hockaday; Mariah and Miah Gonzales; Foresterr and Alexavier Mercer; Damien and Vincent Hawkins; Meagan Huffman; Brandon and Aaron Boerst; Rachel, Sarah, and Hannah Lowe; Tori Copeland; Ashlyn Earven; John-Wayne Francisco; Sheri Oien; Megan Hampton; Kyle and Craig Johnson; and Jenna Lopez; and 2 great-great grandchildren: Lydia Oien and Milanah Moore. He is also survived by two brothers: John F. Mercer, Jr., and Jim Mercer; and one sister, Anne Marie Holland. He was preceded in death by his father, John F. Mercer, Sr.; mother, Christina L. Mercer; granddaughter, Amy Mercer; and grandson, Kenneth Mihalovich. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 844 West Sullivan Street, Miami, AZ 85539 for support of St. Therese’s Chapel in Roosevelt, or Copper Communities Hospice, 136 South Broad Street, Globe, AZ 85501. Funeral services will be held at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Miami on Friday, February 3. Visitation begins at 9:00 a.m. followed by rosary at 9:30 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at Mountain Breeze Memorial Gardens. Lamont Mortuary is assisting the family with the arrangements. The family wishes to thank Copper Community Hospice for the loving care and support they provided over the past year including Bonnie Merrill, Mary Kay, and Dr. Michael Durham. Special thanks go to Mary Hundley and Charlene Gutierrez whom William grew very fond of and truly appreciated for the excellent and tender care they always gave him. The family would also like to thank Deacon Rich and Roxie Lemieux, Fr. Jay Luczak, and members of the St. Therese’s Chapel community in Roosevelt.