H. Llewellyn ''Llew'' Merritt

Henry Llewellyn ("Llew") Merritt died on October 16, 2010 at home. He was 85 years old. He was the youngest of the four children of James Black Merritt III, M.D. and Ella Maude Townsend Merritt of Easton, MD.

After graduating from Easton High School he attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA where he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and met his future wife, Doris Mae Swartz of York County, PA. Mr. Merritt then took graduate courses in higher math at Johns Hopkins University and received a Masters degree in math at that institution. While doing graduate work he taught undergraduate courses at JHU as well as Loyola College in Baltimore and at the University of Maryland – College Park.

In the summer of 1949, he took a summer job at Aberdeen Proving Ground where he stayed for 30 years in a career applying math to the new field of Operations Research. This involved the optimization of weapons used in the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Viet Nam War. He served on or chaired committees for the Dept. of Defense. Among these were: (1) a committee to compare methodologies used by the US and the UK to evaluate Air Defense Missile Warheads, (2) the choice of the Patriot missile system contractor, (3) the choice of the support contractor at Fort Hood, TX.

In the early part of the Cold War, the rivalry was not only with the Soviets but also with the sister services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and with those that thought decisions should be made on the basis of what seemed right rather than on quantitative analysis of the available facts.

He earned a Master's Degree in Business and CPA and worked for Maryland Medicare Services. In retirement, he was a volunteer for AARP who prepared tax returns.
Mr. Merritt served as lay preacher for Cokesbury Methodist Church in Abingdon for several years before becoming a very active member of Bel Air United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Doris Mae Swartz; three children, Tom Merritt of Seattle, WA; Barry Merritt, of Aberdeen, MD and Lynne Merritt, of San Diego, CA; and two grandchildren, Megan and Alison Merritt, of Seattle, WA. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his grandson, Nicholas Merritt; and siblings William T. Merritt, James Black Merritt, and Jane Merritt Kern.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Bel Air United Methodist Church, 21 Linwood Avenue, Bel Air, MD 21014.