The Michigan Brown Trout Festival Officially Kicks Off! – WBKB 11 wbkb11.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wbkb11.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
May 13, 2021
Robert Paul Merkel, 81, of Harrisville passed away in his home from congestive heart failure on Sunday, May 9, 2021. Robert was born on March 11, 1940 in Cadillac, Michigan to David and Marian (Johnson) Merkel. He grew up in Oscoda and Bad Axe, Michigan. He was educated at Central Michigan University and earned a PhD at the University of Michigan. In 1963 he married Carolyn Kay Osborn in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their sons are Robert Bruce and David Paul Merkel.
Robert began teaching at Suttons Bay Public Schools in 1962. He also taught at Swan Valley in Saginaw. He started vocal music and track programs in both schools. In 1967 he developed and implemented the music program at Monroe County Community College where he taught both music and English classes. He conducted the Monroe Chamber Singers and the Monroe Symphony Orchestra. He was the founding member and president of the Monroe City-County Fine Arts Council. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award in 1986 and was Grand