Sad news...

[Vince Weirick]

Indiana's first muskie guide passed away this past Sunday. Mark Merritt was a very accomplished muskie angler, great friend and all around great guy! He was only 39 years old.

He will be greatly missed and our heart and prayers are with him and his family!

[J Routt]

Wow.....
That is sad to hear. He was a great guy, and an even better fisherman. I had the honor of fishing with him 10-12 years ago. He taught me several things I still use today.
Very sad.... I hoped to get out with him again someday.

[J Routt]

Mark Eugene Meritt
December 7, 1969 - November 15, 2009

Mark Eugene Meritt, 39, beloved husband of Lisa (Kraynik) and adored father of Carson, passed quietly from this life on November 15, 2009 in the Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN . They survive as do his parents, Michael and Frieda Jean (Lamb) Meritt. Mark was born on December 7, 1969, in Crawfordsville, IN.

Other survivors include brother Christopher (Laura) and their children, Katie and Jacob of New Richmond, IN; aunts, Sandra Haymaker, Crawfordsville, IN; Mary F. Wright, Terre Haute, IN; Peggy Brown (Gary), Southport, NC; uncle, Fred K. Lamb (Nita) of Terre Haute, IN; and his in-laws, Larry and Linda Kraynik of Munster, IN and brothers-in-law Larry (Laura) Kraynik Jr, Milwaukee, Wisc and Kenneth Kraynik of Munster, IN. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Fred and Frances Lamb; paternal grandparents, Eugene Meritt and Eileen Carlson Meritt . He has numerous first cousins and second cousins surviving.
*
Mark attended North Montgomery schools and graduated from North Montgomery High School in 1988. He was active in wrestling and FFA in high school. The FFA judging team of which he was a member was the National FFA Judging Championship Team in 1988. Mark earned honors as third in the nation as a member of that team.

During his school years, he was also an active member of 4-H, showing pigs and sheep and earning numerous honors at both the local 4-H fair and the Indiana State Fair.

Following graduation, Mark attended Purdue University, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Agriculture. He completed additional hours and became certified as a teacher. He taught agriculture for the first ten years of his professional life. As such, he served as sponsor of FFA groups, and his judging teams earned both state and national recognition.
Following his move to Minnesota, Mark became a Senior Training Specialist for Best Buy. Besides his work, Mark was an avid outdoorsman. He especially enjoyed fishing and was an expert fly fisherman and made many of his own lures. He often served as a fishing guide. Two of his greatest accomplishments were establishing two world records for catching muskies on fly-casting rods. In one instance, he caught a 50 lb. Muskie on 20-pound test line. He had published articles on Muskie fishing, particularly in ESox Angler Magazine. He also was a contributing author to a recent book on Muskie fly fishing and was featured in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times in June of 2002.

Much of Mark's time in the past few years has been spent being a great dad to his son Carson and a loving husband. As a family, they shared his love for fishing, being outdoors, and being adventurous.

Mark was a member of the Purdue Alumni Association and a board member for the Twin Cities Chapter of Muskies, INC. He was a true Purdue alumni always rooting for them wherever he was. He will be sadly missed but remembered with love.
The family will receive friends on Saturday, November 21, 2009, 12:00 - 2:30 p.m. at Family & Friends Funeral Home of Wingate. Graveside services will follow in Oakland Cemetery near Elmdale with Pastor Allan Sparks officiating. The family requests memorial contributions be directed to Mayo Clinic for Cardiac Research, with envelopes available at the funeral home. Visit us online at www.familyandfriendsfh.com to leave a condolence.