William Vernon Merchant

Merchant, William

Ann Arbor, MI

William Vernon Merchant passed away at the age of 85 on July 30, 2025. A longtime resident of Pinckney, Michigan, he lived on Hi-Land Lake from 1985 until late 2024 when he relocated to Glacier Hills, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Born on March 18, 1940 in Defiance, Ohio to Vernon Temple Merchant and Dorothy Marie (Beatty) Merchant, Bill grew up in Defiance and was a 1958 graduate of Defiance High School. He worked for the Johns-Manville Corporation in Defiance and Waterville, Ohio, and for several years in Corona, California, before a desire to be closer to his family in Ohio led him in 1973 to take a position with Michigan Seamless Tube, in South Lyon, Michigan. He remained with the Tube Mill, as it is known, for 51 years, and retired in 2024.

Bill is survived by his sons Michael (Jennie) Merchant, David (Valyn) Merchant, grandchildren; Sarah Everett, Emma Everett, Jill Everett, Patrick Everett, and cousin; Angela (Michael) Connor. He is also survived by his former wife, and lifelong friend, Chris (Belden) Carlson. Bill was preceded in death by his parents Vernon and Dorothy Merchant, his niece Christy Keefer, and his sister Marilyn Keefer.

Bill will be remembered, above all, for his loyalty and commitment.

He was loyal to his job. His 51 year tenure at the Tube Mill only hints at it. He endured multiple restructurings, changes in ownership, company name changes, and a bankruptcy that left the plant shuttered and him nearly alone in the plant with a small crew tasked with keeping the machinery from seizing up completely, while the bank sought a buyer that might reopen them. They did reopen, and he continued as long as he was healthy enough to keep it up. He used to say that he wanted to be cremated in the rotary furnace (he was not). When he reluctantly retired last year, they renamed the building that had long housed his office the William V. Merchant Maintenance and Engineering Offices. Because he was the sort of person that inspired that kind of reverence.

He was loyal to his favorite after-work venues. He frequented the same restaurants and watering holes (Zukey Lake Tavern, Dam Site Inn, The Earle, Lake Street Tavern, and others) for decades. He knew dozens of staff members names, remembered birthdays, celebrated life events, grieved over losses, and asked nothing except that his spot be waiting at his appointed time, and that his drink, and glasses, and stirrer sticks, and ice, and other accoutrements be properly arrayed. He was a beloved person (and personality) in all of these places. He was “a treasure,” as one former Zukey staff member put it. Long, long, long after the state of Michigan outlawed indoor smoking, an ashtray would sometimes be kept, secreted away, so that Bill Merchant would have a place for his (unlighted) cigar. If the ashtray disappeared, someone would run out and get a new one. Because he was the sort of person that inspired that kind of affection.

He was loyal to his friends. Whether they were friends from work, friends from his evening haunts, or friends of his family, he sincerely, deeply cared for them. He had the sort of magnetic personality and integrity that made people trust and like him, and a sincerity that meant they never regretted it. He was charming in an old-fashioned way. There was no pretense, or fakery, or insincerity about him. He was genuine in every way; he neither hid his faults nor exaggerated his virtues. Upon hearing of his passing, one friend wrote, “If there is a finer man, I have not met him.” Because he was the sort of person who inspired that kind of praise.

He was, more than anything, loyal to his sons. For well over half his life he was a cheerleader, a booster, a worrier, a protector, the sort of father whose pride in his “boys” was evident to all. The sort of father, though, whose pride was not blind, but who had an honesty and integrity that meant he would report his own sons to teachers or authorities if he caught them misbehaving. The sort of father who made those sons want to turn themselves in, because it was the right thing to do. But also the sort of father who kissed his sons goodnight, even as adults, and who told those sons at the end of every conversation that he loved them. And made them believe it. The sort of father who extended this affection and interest to his sons’ friends, wives, and children. Who made them all feel special and loved. But more than special and loved; he made them feel like they had a fan, a guy in the stands who really wanted them to succeed, but who would celebrate them regardless. They will be infinitely richer for having had their lives touched by his. They will miss him forever. Because he was the sort of person that inspired that kind of love.

We will gather Monday, August 11, 2025 from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM, at Borek Jennings Funeral Home, Hamburg Chapel. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM (gathering at 10:00 AM), at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Whitmore Lake. Pastor Sam Fink and Pastor Jeff Burgess will serve as celebrants. Upon conclusion of services, friends and family are welcome to join us at Zukey Lake Tavern to raise a glass in Bill’s name.

In celebration of Bill’s life, flowers are welcome, or donations can be made to North Star Reach or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Please leave a message of comfort at 1-877-231-7900, or sign Bill’s guestbook at www.borekjennings.com.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.