Guy Eugene Merritt, age 76, of Oliver Springs, TN was born September 10, 1946 and passed away at home on July 6, 2023. Guy was preceded in death by grandparents: Frank and Eliza Merritt, Jesse and Josie Loveday; father, James Hubert Merritt; mother, Alma Leona Loveday Merritt, and stepmother, Loretta Young Merritt. Survived by his biggest fan and wife of 54 years, Jane Delila Key Merritt; sister and brother-in-law, Janie M. and David L. Phillips and close friend, Tracey Justice. Guy spent his early childhood in Tuckahoe (now called Midway),Tennessee, hunting, fishing and roaming the woods with his best friend, a redtick hound named Sport. The family moved to Alcoa, Tennessee when Guy was in sixth grade; he graduated from Everett High School in 1964. His primary sports interest was baseball which he played from Little League through County League as mostly the third baseman. Guy has been a Boston Red Sox fan his whole life and was even asking about the score the evening prior to his death. After high school, Guy completed an apprenticeship and became a journeyman glazier. Drafted into the army in late 1969, Guy was trained as Military Police and Corrections Specialist stationed in San Antonio, TX. He was a guard at Lackland AFB and later chief of security at 5th Army Headquarters Fort Sam, Houston. Guy's job history after college varied, but primarily he worked in sales. First on the road selling parts to coal miners for Power Equipment Company; to managing the Tri-County Ace Hardware in Oliver Springs. He was a partner and operator of PBM Coal Company mining on the Cumberland Plateau. Guy continued on the road sales at Southern Signs, later owning M&J Used Cars in Oliver Springs and Slabtown Saloon in Harriman. Guy's last job was in Security at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge. The love of Guy's life was dirt track stock car racing, which he did from age 19 until the age of 56. He sometimes owned and built his own cars, but mostly drove for other owners: Marshall Crisp, Arthur Huskey, Lester Weeks, Tom Summey, Charles Farmer, Ronnie Russell, Gary Neff, Barry Kilby, Jim Brummett, Woody Bryant, and Tracey Justice. From his first race car (a late model sportsman) to his last (a modified mini), Guy raced all over East Tennessee, South Kentucky, and North Georgia. Guy was most proud of being elected to Smoky Mountain Speedway Hall of Fame in 2017. The family will receive friends Friday, July 14, 2023 between the hours of 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM in the chapel of McCarty Evergreen Funeral Home 7426 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37924 with a Funeral Service following at 7:00 p.m. Family and friends will meet Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Thorngrove Cemetery, Strawberry Plains for an 11:00 AM Interment. Condolences may be offered at www.mccartyevergreen.com
