On Sunday, July 11 ^th , at 11 am, a graveside ceremony, with military honors by the Brattvet-Green American Legion Post, will be held at Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon. The ceremony will be followed by a Memorial Celebration at Merriman's Grove. The Celebration is meant to invoke the spirit of the old Shadehill community gatherings at the park, and will be casual. The event will begin at noon on July 11 ^th , and food will be served by 12:30. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established, to benefit Five Counties Nursing Home.

Donald Wilford Merriman was born December 24, 1922 in a sod house south of Lemmon, SD to parents Arthur and Edith (Thorpe) Merriman. There were 10 children, with 7 surviving beyond childhood. The family moved to the community of Seim (now under water at Shadehill Reservoir) to work on farmland Don's grandfather Wilford had purchased. Don enjoyed school with a few of his brothers and sisters in the Seim one-room schoolhouse, and his love of learning persisted throughout his lifetime. He graduated from high school in Lemmon, SD after boarding "in town" with his brother Russell. Don worked for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle Washington in 1941, and on to San Diego for more work in the aviation industry. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 during WWII.

Don enlisted in the Navy in 1942 during World War II, began basic training in San Diego and had additional schooling to become an Aviation Radioman before receiving his dispatch orders to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. Don remembered the journey as very tense, sailing on a fuel-supplying merchant ship, a prime target for enemy aircraft. He was moved from island to island following the Marines and doing cleanup after the battles that had ensued. In the spring of 1944 Don got emergency leave to return home after his father died. He received leave in two segments to plant and harvest for his mother in South Dakota. Due to this arrangement, he served much of his service at Fallon, Nevada. There he met Frances Waltz, from Akron, Ohio who was teaching in Fallon. Thus began a relationship that spanned 73 years. Don and Frances became engaged in 1945, and in November of 1945 Don received his Honorable Discharge.

The couple was married in Brookings, South Dakota on May 31, 1946.  The initial years of the marriage were busy with farming, creating a home, establishing a garden, and over time from 1947 to 1963, growing a family that included two daughters and two sons. The community around Shadehill grew with both people and activity as the Shadehill Reservoir started to be developed beyond the initial planning stages in 1948.  It was also the time that Don took over a rural route mail contract, and Don and Frances retained that route for 49 years. In the summer of 1949, crews began to move in to start the initial phases of construction of the Shadehill Reservoir. Much of the housing and staging for the Dam took place at the nearby Hager home and Shadehill Post office.

The Shadehill Reservoir and Grand River figured heavily in the next stages of Don's life. Providing for a growing family by farming on the reduced acreage lost to the dam was challenging. Don had been interested in irrigation for some time, since his father had been enthusiastic about irrigation. He learned everything he could, and eventually went on to irrigate his own land. Shortly thereafter, he started promoting and selling irrigation equipment part-time in the area.

By 1981 all four children were married and grand-parenting and occasional golfing were added interests.

In the 1980s Don and Frances visited Hawaii and Australia. Later Don and Frances traveled to Fullerton, California to spend the winter months with Frances' brother. After 2000, broken bones and extended recoveries for both Don and Frances dictated it was time to leave the farm. Don and Frances moved to Lemmon in 2002.

Living away from the farm, Don found ways to get involved in town life. He started to take an interest in local municipal events, the Senior Center, and the American Legion. In his 80's he learned to use the computer, mostly on his own, and soon became an avid researcher. He had such a thirst for knowledge that the internet opened up a whole new world for him. He believed in healthy living, exercise of both mind and body and tried his best to practice both.

Donald loved visits from his grandchildren and great grandchildren, and playing "Donald Duck" with his name, taught them to call him Grandpa Quack Quack. He enjoyed teaching them to play dominos and card games, and encouraged them to think big in their dreams for the future.

Donald is survived by his two sons, John (Brenda) Lemmon SD, Richard (Sari) Aberdeen, SD, and two daughters, Claudia Merriman, Lemmon SD/Burnsville MN, and Nancy (Ken) Smart, Brooklyn Park, MN., 9 Grandchildren, 10 Great Grandchildren, and 2 Great Great Grandchildren, Sisters, Marvelyn Braaten, Pryor Oklahoma, Elizabeth Wacker, Bowman ND, and brother, Roger, Spearfish, SD. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Frances, his infant brothers, Darreld and Arthur, infant sister, Florence, brothers, Russell and Glen, and sister, Lucille Lutz, his son-in-law Ken Smart, and great granddaughter, Kirra O'Connor.

A memorial celebration will be announced later.