Birth date: Jan 20, 1933 Death date: Oct 23, 2018
Merrill Pons Friend, Jr., 85, passed away on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. Born January 20, 1933 in Norfolk, Virginia, he was the son of the late Merrill P. Friend Sr. and Margaret M. (Moak) Friend. A native of Aiken, South Carolina Read Obituary
Obviously a man of high esteem, as reflected in how he raised my long-time friend, Maggie Friend. My sincerest condolences to Maggie and Christopher and family. May his memories bring you peace.
Jonelle Mangione Cochran
I have the honor of knowing Merrill both in person and through his daughter. I am grateful for his fostering many of the attributes I admire in Maggie, love of reading, curiosity, and connection to nature to name a few. Merrill's efforts to be a strong father were admirable and though his path was at times difficult, he was believer in the fruits of hard work. Thank you Merrill for all you have done!
What a fine, upstanding and gracious man Merrill was every time I visited his home to see his daughter, Maggie! God now has another angel! Many prayers for his family. Love and hugs, Julie Rytlewski Kemp
My father was a hard-working man. He worked early mornings before school as a teenager to help support his family. He worked as a young man while attending business school to prepare himself for professional work. Nothing was more important to him than providing for his family and, when we were children, he worked nearly every day to insure that he did. When he retired, my mother became ill and he became, at her insistence, her sole caregiver. When he fell ill, he worked hard to be well again. He rarely had a moments rest but when he did, he spent it fishing or camping. If we were lucky, we got to spend a day with him boating in Tampa Bay, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, or fishing in the quiet sloughs of the Withlacoochee River. I hope that as his spirit leaves this earth, it travels along these banks and shores. We already miss him more than words can say but I think we will always find him in those clear waters where he found peace in nature.
I miss you Dad....I know you are in heaven with Mom now and no longer in pain. You have been a great influence in my life...Michelle, Jefferson, and Vanessa love you very much too
