Merlin Marvin Vilhauer

In the early hours of Sunday, September 27, 2026, a beautiful Oregon morning, Merlin Vilhauer peacefully passed away after a two month battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving, devoted family in the final days leading up to his passing.

Merlin was born on January 19, 1943, on his family farm in Rupert, Idaho to Herman and Ruth. Raised on a farm, he learned the value of hard work early, spending his youth milking the cows, thinning the sugar beets, and baling the hay. At Minico High School, he was an athlete who excelled in basketball and football. Later, he graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Civil Engineering and went on to earn his master’s at UW in Environmental Engineering. Using his computer programming and modeling knowledge while working for the City of Portland, he was instrumental in developing the Big Pipe Project, which was crucial for Portland’s infrastructure.

A lifelong pastime began during Merlin's college years when he first discovered duplicate bridge. The game brought an endless circle of friends into his life and led to leadership roles on the boards of the ACBL and the World Bridge Federation. He traveled the world competing in tournaments, but his greatest bridge milestone was meeting Marilyn, the love of his life. Together, they enjoyed nearly 40 wonderful years of marriage.

Family meant everything to Merlin. His two sons Craig (Kristin) Vilhauer and Reed (Caroline) Vilhauer were his pride and joy. His family grew when he welcomed his stepdaughter Aron (Pete) Carleson and Brad (Treya) Meyer into his life. The real fun started when he became grandpa to Matt, Nick, Peyton, Hogan, Grant, Ben, Sara and Andrew. Family adventures often included his nephew Mike (Catherine) Vilhauer and their son Max.

Merlin will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Hillsboro Schools Foundation or the ACBL Education Foundation.