Samuel J. Merlo

SAMUEL J. MERLO Memorial services for longtime Cortez resident Samuel J. Merlo will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 14 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Samuel J. Merlo, attorney at law, died at his home in Cortez, on September 4, 2010. He was born February 9, 1922 in Nazareth, Penn. His parents were Sebastiano "Charles" and Concetta "Anne" Merlo. Sam had ten brothers and sisters, nine of whom predeceased him. His sister Nina Merlo still lives in Nazareth. He also had many nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania, Nevada and California, all of whom loved their Uncle Sam as much as he loved them. Sam joined the United States Army Air Corps in January 1940, at the age of 18. He was stationed at Wheeler Field in Hawaii and became a friend of James Jones, who later wrote "From Here to Eternity." On the morning of December 7, 1941, while returning to Schofield Barracks from church, Sam saw aircraft overhead with "Rising Sun" on the wings. He was strafed, but escaped injury that day; he knew war would be declared. Sam was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant when he graduated from Navigation School. He later taught navigation to other aviators in Texas. As a navigator, stationed at Grafton-Underwood in England, he flew 23 combat missions in B-17s over Germany with the 384th Bomb Group. On the 24th mission, his plane was shot down on April 13, 1944, south of Frankfort. Five of his crewmembers were killed. Sam and four other members were able to bail out, but Sam sustained lifelong injuries. He and his surviving crewmates were captured and became prisoners of war in Germany in Stalag III, the same camp where the "Great Escape" took place. At the close of the war, as the Russians were advancing, Sam and thousands of other POWs were marched for days in subzero temperatures and hundreds froze to death. Ultimately, he and his fellow prisoners were liberated by General Patton's armed forces in May 1945. During his service, he received two Purple Hearts. He was retired with a disability pension January 13, 1946. At the time of his death, he held the rank of Captain. The GI Bill helped Sam earn his Bachelor of Science in Law Degree and Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Denver (DU). He received his license to practice law in 1954. He and his wife Betty moved to Dove Creek in 1954. He practiced law with Guy Dyer there until he moved to Mancos in 1955. He practiced law in Cortez from 1955 until 1995. He loved the law and enjoyed assisting people with their civil and criminal problems. Sam and Grace met in California where Grace also practiced law. They were married on November 1, 1968 in Law Vegas, Nev. and a partnership in law as well as marriage was formed. The partnership in law ended in 1987 when Governor Lamm appointed Grace as the 22nd Judicial District Court Judge. Both of them officially retired in 1995, but because of Sam's love of law and of helping others, he occasionally took on a case. During their retirement, Sam and Grace enjoyed many interests. Among their interests were exploring the country in their motor home, visiting family and friends, and planting trees on their property in Cortez. Surviving Sam are his wife, Grace Merlo; his children, Anthony Merlo and wife, Lynne of Boulder, Colo. and Marc Merlo and his daughter, Samantha of Las Vegas, Nev.; his sister, Nina Merlo of Nazareth, Penn.; as well as his nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania. Sam will be greatly missed by his family of birth and marriage and by his close friends here and elsewhere.