John E. Merz

John Edward Merz (Pa)—beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend—went to be with the Lord on the morning of October 2, 2026. Born on November 13, 1933 in Denver, CO, Pa’s nearly 93 years were a testament to love, laughter, wisdom, and commitment.

Pa’s love was often made most real by his hugs. He shared these hugs with his wife of thirty-three years, Darlene Canfield; their five daughters, Debbee, Kim, Dawn, Deanna, and Denise; his sons-in-law, Lee and Erich; his five grandchildren, Tristina, Jason, Taylorae, Tia, and Ben; their spouses, Connor, Kerri, Tim, and Bailey; and his six great-grandchildren, Ella, Cole, Bryn, Mia, Will, and Marley. After Darlene’s passing, John remarried Sonia Crater and for 30 years was able to share his loving hugs with her and the new family members she brought—three daughters, Colette, Karen, and Katrina; seven grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Pa’s love showed in the way he took his silliness very seriously, and from the Meadow Gold factory where he worked as a teen and ate handfuls of butter, to his brave service in the U.S. Army, to his lifelong career in Denver Public Schools as an elementary teacher, counselor, and principal. He was the very first certified elementary school counselor in Denver Public Schools. He knew the power of humor and being silly in the spreading of his love and the caring of those around him. This manifested in endless puns, dad jokes, silly voices, strange pronunciations, his random recitation of Tres Osos, and his often quizzical fashion sense.

Pa’s love showed in his commitment to education and the bettering of every one and every thing around him. A committed do-it-yourself guy, Pa never met a house he couldn’t renovate, an appliance he couldn’t fix, a land he couldn’t scape, a tool he didn’t need to own seven of, a computer he couldn’t navigate, a ceiling fan or a TV he couldn’t install, a Christmas ornament he didn’t need to hang, a tiny car he couldn’t live out of, or a sunken boat he couldn’t haul up from the watery deep. He asked insightful questions, and out of his vast experience and knowledge base, he gave sage advice.

Pa’s love showed in that he always shared his greatest resource, time. His conversations were always long and slow because it allowed him to give more time to the person with whom he was speaking. His cereal was always soggy and his ice cream always melted because the most important thing was the time spent talking with his family. Even when the effort seemed to be more than he could give, Pa found a way to always “be there”—the sporting events, the birthday parties, the celebrations, the reunions. For almost 93 years, Pa made sure we all knew how much he loved us because he shared as much of his years with us as he could.

Pa loved life and he held onto it with everything he had. Even through the challenges of his final days, he continued to find joy in his family, his friends, his stories, his model A’s, and the simple gift of another day.

A celebration of Pa’s life will be held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 3:30 PM in the Parkside Lounge at Ciel Senior Living in Arvada, 9555 W. 59th Ave. All are welcome to attend.