Larry David Mercer

Larry Mercer, cherished father, grandfather, brother, and friend passed away peacefully on 12/15/21 in Shawnee, Oklahoma at age 75.

Larry was born in Casper, Wyoming to Dorothy and Romeo Goudreau and three sisters. Larry was adopted at the age of 2 by Ernest and Blanche Mercer, along with 3 children from Ernest’s previous marriage. Shortly thereafter, they welcomedanother son. The family settled in Kansas where Larry found a love of music and played in several bands. He graduated from Eskridge Rural High School and chose Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia for their music program. 

Larry served one year in the US Navy Reserve and was honorably discharged in 1967. That same year he began working the night shift as a clerk at the Emporia Post Office and welcomed a son, Larry David Mercer II, with wife Merita Behrens(Hart). In 1969, they also welcomed daughter Kristan Lea. 

In 1972, he was promoted to a supervisory position, and in 1973, Larry applied for and was hired as a postal inspector in Grand Rapids, MI. This was the beginning of a long and successful career in the US Postal Service. In the years that followed, Larry’s career brought relocations and new friends in Saginaw, Traverse City, and Kalamazoo, MI and Fort Smith, AR. At the height of his career he was aManagement Sectional Center Manager; responsible for over one hundred postmasters in his district.  

In 1982, Larry was contacted by a detective that had been hired on behalf of his biological sisters. He was happily reunited with his birth family and quickly formed a loving bond with his mother, step-father, and sisters. 

Larry’s children grew up in Kansas and spent portions of their summer breaks in Michigan with their dad. They have many fond memories of swimming in the backyard and Lake Michigan, mowing with the riding lawn mower, camping, canoeing, going to amusement parks, and taking rides in the Cutlass with the top down. 

When Larry retired as Plant Manager in Kalamazoo, MI in 2001, he began wintering in AZ near his birth mother and sister with then-wife, Cheryle Myers.They embraced retirement between MI and AZ and enjoyed camping, fishing, gardening, and hosting friends and relatives.

After the passing of his family in Arizona, Larry settled in Oklahoma near his remaining sisters and their families. He relished working outdoors on his 12-acre property and did so nearly every day. Those who knew Larry can attest that he couldn’t be still for long. 

Larry is survived by his children, Larry ‘David’ Mercer II of Ionia, MI and Kristan‘Kristy’ Davis of Jefferson City, MO and her children, Alyssa (Christian) Munar of Albany, NY, Chandler Davis of Oswego, NY, and Spencer Davis of Albany, NY, his brother, Steve (Linda) Mercer of Topeka, KS, and sisters Frances Carter and Judy (Richard) Whited of Shawnee, OK, half-sister Susan Vickery of Cheyenne, WY, and several nieces and nephews. 

He is predeceased by his adoptive parents, Ernest (d. 1983) and Blanche Mercer (d. 1994), brothers Forrest ‘Duane’ Mercer (d. 1993) and Robert Mercer (d. 1997), sister Donna Wilson (d. 2017). Also, his birth parents, Romeo Goudreau (d. 1982) and Dorothy Herrud (d. 2007), step-father Lester Herrud (d. 2009), and his sister Rita Kellogg (d. 2013). 

Larry loved God, fishing, music, conversation, children, and puttering with never-ending projects. He was treasured and will be missed by many. The family would like to read and share memories from friends and loved ones. Please feel free to share on the funeral home site at www.brownsfamilyfuneralhome.com or on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/larry.mercer.98

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Larry David Mercer, please visit our floral store.