FALMOUTH – William “Bill” Merten of Falmouth and Boothbay Harbor, Maine, passed away suddenly on May 15, 2023. He was 81 (and a half, as he liked to point out) years old.

Bill was born on Sept. 16, 1941, to Ruth and Alfred Merten in Irvington, New Jersey. After graduating from Columbia High School in 1959, he went on to earn a B.A. in Mathematics Education at what was then called Jersey City State College, ultimately earning an M.A. in Reading Education. After graduation, Bill started his first, and only, full-time job teaching math for the Township of Union school system, retiring just before the end of his 40th year. For twenty of those years, he also taught an Algebra class every afternoon at Solomon Schechter Day School in Cranford, New Jersey.

Bill put family before everything else, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. His selflessness was evident not only with his family, but with friends and strangers alike. He seemed to always try to anticipate others’ needs and to offer of himself without hesitation.

Second only to his family, Bill loved a good joke. Whether a prank or Dad joke, he was always funny, often corny, and never mean-spirited. He loved to tell stories, and recently preserved them in a self-published book titled “Did I Ever Tell you About . . .”

Bill’s life was also defined by public service. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Township of Union Education Association, part of the New Jersey Education Association. After he and his family moved to Franklin Township, New Jersey, he joined the Quakertown Volunteer Fire Department, and served on the Franklin Township Board of Education for five years and the Franklin Township Committee for fifteen years, with three of those as Mayor. After retiring to Maine, he continued his service as a member and past President of both the Falmouth Colonial Village Condo Association and the Carousel Condominium Association.

Bill was known for his love of sports, food, and travel. As a young man, he owned a share of a harness racer named Thru Traffic. He could talk for hours about Penn State football, and he was there when the NY Mets won the seventh game of the 1986 World Series. He taught his daughter to play blackjack, his son to play craps, and both to muck out horse stalls (which he continued to do as a hobby until his death). He loved oysters, steak, Wise potato chips, hot dogs, a very dry Gibson, Barbara’s chocolate cake, and vegetarian dishes, and he made the best Caesar salad around. He enjoyed playing dominoes with Barbara, Laura, and Paige, though he rarely beat one (or any) of them. Among other destinations, he and Barbara visited Sicily, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, all 50 states, and all but two Presidential Libraries.

He was predeceased by his brother-in-law James Miller, brother Robert Merten, nephew Craig Miller, and brother-in-law Richard Dinnerman. He is survived by his wife Barbara, children Laura and Glenn, daughter-in-law Allison, granddaughter Paige, sister Ruth Carol Neal, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Bob and Karen Miller, and a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

A viewing will be held at Lindquist Funeral Home in Yarmouth, Maine, on May 19 at 10 a.m., with a service to follow at noon.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, an organization Bill felt strongly about: Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, 3121 Hotel Road, P.O. Box 1807, Auburn, ME 04211, http://www.gsfb.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.LindquistFuneralHome.com for the Merten family.

 

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