Obituary - Alan Merryfield

Alan Merryfield

The Funeral Service for Mr. Merryfield will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 23, 2016 at Hill and Son Funeral Home Appleton City, Missouri. Officiating at the service will be David Hill.

Visitation will be between 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Friday, September 23, 2016 at the funeral home.

A Military Graveside Service will be presented by Appleton City VFW Post #11242 and the Missouri Honor Guard. Interment will be in the Appleton City Cemetery, Appleton City, Missouri.

The family suggest Memorial donations to the Appleton City FFA (for replacement of the Ag Building sign).

Alan Merryfield at 70 years of age passed away peacefully at St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City on September 20, 2016. He was born November 17, 1945, one of four children from the union of Elson and Lura Jane (Allen) Merryfield.

Alan spent his formative years in the Appleton City area, where he graduated from high school in 1963. After completing his education he served his country proudly in the United States Army. National Reserves During this time he met and married Lola Fern Snodgrass and from this union one daughter, Tina Michelle, was born. Baptized as a Methodist, his faith, while private, always remained important throughout his life.

In 1965 Alan and Richard Vaughn met at a feeder calf sale forming a lifelong friendship. Farming until the late 1970s, Alan then began his career as a contractor specialist at Vaughn Lumberyard in Butler, Missouri, where he worked more than 20 years. Alan treasured his relationships with his many friends and neighbors that he spent much of his time with. Apart from this, Alan enjoyed camping, hunting, and especially fishing at the lake with his grandchildren. These grandchildren, Ashlyn and Brett, were the most cherished things in his life. In his later years he sometimes struggled with remembering his great-granddaughter Brealea’s name, but solved this problem by simply referring to her as “pancake”, which then she became “pancake” Turner. Nevertheless, driving around in his beloved pickup on gravel roads, checking possible crop yields as well as potential rental properties greatly enthused Alan. Finally, he spent many white-knuckled afternoons and evenings watching NASCAR and Mizzou sports.

Alan was preceded in death by his parents; two infant sons; one uncle, Gene Allen; and two brothers-in-law, Ronnie Dingus and Jim Edwards. Survivors include his daughter, Tina and husband Craig Roberts of Appleton City; one granddaughter, Ashlyn and husband Mitch Turner of Rockville; one grandson Brett Roberts of Appleton City; on great-granddaughter, Brealea Ann Turner; three sisters, Ann and Robert Wells of Los Alamos, New Mexico, Janell Edwards of Kansas City, Missouri, Tandy and Larry Collins of Cape Coral, Florida; two aunts, Elaine Allen of Whittier, California and Helen Allen of Independence, Missouri.