Dr. Merritt C. Becker Jr

Dr. Becker, after serving in Europe in WWII, used the GI Bill to enter Pharmacy School at Loyola University. He received his first doctorate in just five years. He earned two…the second honorary one at UNO.

Dr. Becker’s lifelong hobby of model boat and train building influenced every aspect of his life. At the age of 17, he built his first model ships while working as an electrician alongside his father at Higgins Boat Company, where eventually he became an expediter for steamships.

At 19, he was drafted in the Army and trained to work on the military railroad that moved allied supplies across Europe. He earned the rank of Sergeant and received three medals, all battle stars: The Invasion of Utah beach, The Battle of the Bulge and The Battle of Berlin. He served under General George S. Patton.

Dr. Becker had lived and worked in New Orleans all his life. His first job was at Smithy’s Pharmacy on St. Charles and then as a pharmaceutical rep for Abbott Laboratories. After his retirement from Abbott, Dr. Becker taught Chemistry and Physics at Stuart Prep School. In his spare time, Dr. Becker would travel all across Europe hosting these trips as a tour guide, also indulging his other passion...photography. Some of Dr. Becker’s model boats can be viewed on display at the entrance of The Port of New Orleans Building.

Dr Becker was associated with several parade organizations, including an officer in the Krewe of Iris, The Chris Owens Easter Parade and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He was also a lifelong member of the NMRA and the Steam Train Association. He also worked as a consultant and advisor to several deans at UNO for different projects. ..hoping to leave a legacy for the Merritt Becker Museum of Intermodal Transportation. He is preceded in death by his mother, Edna Johnson Becker, his father Merritt Charles Becker Sr. and his sister, Betty O. Becker. He is survived by his cousins.

Visitation will be Monday November 24th, 2014 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Ponchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, with Funeral to be at 11:00 am at the funeral home. Burial will follow immediately in Lake Lawn Park Cemetery.