Andrew Peter Merkey was born on January 18, 1925, to Pearl Reno & Vinnie Andrews Merkey in Cloud Chief, Oklahoma. He was the fifth of 15 children and the fourth of 10 sons.
Andrew was a man of true character. His strength, integrity, honesty and unconditional love for all were unsurpassed. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, country drives, gardening, and reading. There was always a smile, a word of encouragement and a joke to be told.
He graduated from Lake Valley High School in Cordell, Oklahoma in 1944. After high school, he joined the military and was a PVT in the Army for World War II in Okinawa, the Philippines, and Japan for 3 years where he received a bronze star and a purple heart for his service.
Andrew married Maude "Sue" Prescott and helped finished raising her 7 children, 1 foster son, and a neighbor's daughter. After her passing in 1981, he married Dorothy Wilburn with her 4 daughters. Upon her death in 1989, he married Gwen Booker with her 2 daughters and a son.
Andrew was a hard worker and the best! He worked for C.B.I. for 30 years. He was also a taxi driver and a security officer. He retired many times but would rather keep working. In the summer he loved watching the birds bathing & feeding and enjoyed being surrounded by the many beautiful roses in the yard while listening to gospel music and doing jigsaw puzzles on the back patio. In the winter he would rather stay in his office and read or play solitaire on the computer.
He prayed for years for a loving, Godly wife that would love him and his family before he met and married Gwendolyn. They lived in Kearns, Utah. He is survived by his sons; George "Bud" Haddenham, Eugene "Kay" Haddenham and John Haddenham and daughter Janet Doyle. He is also survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Gwen; 4 daughters, Helen Smith, Coral Merkey, Beverly Rutherford, and Carol Cowles and a son, Keith Basham.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at 11:00 am at the Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East, Dimple Dell Road (10600 South). A viewing will be held from 9:30-10:45 am. Interment with military honors to follow at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery.
