William Carl "Bill" Mertz, age 96, passed peacefully under the care of Nazareth House of Fresno on Sunday, April 17, 2016. He was born in Lafayette, IN on July 30, 1919.
Bill graduated from Purdue University in 1941, with a degree in chemical engineering and spent 40 years in the packaging business. Over the years, his job took him to Ohio, California, and Wisconsin, and upon retirement in 1983, he returned to Fresno. He was a volunteer for Lifeline, the Fresno Audubon Society, St. Agnes Hospital, and Hinds Hospice, and in 1989, he and his wife, Mary Frances were nominated for the Volunteer Bureau "Volunteers of the Year" award.
Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 67 years, Mary Frances.
He is survived by his children, Tom Mertz and his wife Gay, Judy Sawitzke, Jim Mertz and his wife Barbara, and Kathy Smuz and her husband Tony; as well as five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. A gentle soul, he was dearly loved by all who knew him.
A Memorial Mass will be held at the Nazareth House, Monday, May 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.
