Merl Elvin Fishback

Merl was born in West Salem and grew up in Hillsboro, Oregon. He has always been a hard worker. As a teenager, he would get up at 5 am and milk his cows, then milk his neighbor's cows, then eat breakfast and catch the bus to school.

He was good at school. He graduated high school at the age of 16 because his teachers made him skip two grades. Merl's father was a carpenter and often had to travel to find work, leaving Merl in charge of many household chores, like chopping the wood for their wood stove.

When World War 2 came, he had to sell off his dairy herd and leave his machinist apprenticeship. But when he went to army boot camp, he got to sleep in, and he gained weight because it was easier than what he was doing before. During the war, he landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, and went through 11 different countries – helping deliver supplies as a train technician, often to the front lines (some scary stories there).

After the war, he went to Oregon State University and received a degree in Industrial Engineering. His first job after college was to design the production plant for Freightliner trucks.

He then stayed at Freightliner for 38 years as a production manager. While there, he also helped build an assembly plant in California, but that only took them six months to finish.

When he retired, he was worried he wouldn't have enough to do, so he started a Christmas tree farm. At 94, he still enjoyed driving his small tractor, even though he needed a step ladder to climb aboard.

Twenty-five years ago, he was diagnosed with heart disease and had two stents placed in his heart. After that, his healthy diet got even healthier, including the avoidance of most desserts. He enjoyed watching the news and reading his Wall Street Journal. Merl has been married to his wife Gloria for 71 years, has two sons, two daughters, and eight grandkids. Merl is an astute planner, a hard worker, and cares deeply about his family. He had an extremely strong will to live and will be missed by all.

A memorial service for Merl will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at North Plains Christian Church, 31231 Northwest Commercial Street, North Plains, OR 97133.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.skylinememorialgardens.com for the Fishback family.