Dr. William Ross Merritt, Jr.

Dr. William R. Merritt, Jr., age 76, of Ridgeway, Iowa, died Saturday, February 11, 2006 at his home. Funeral Services will be held at a later date. Arrangements by Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah. William Ross Merritt Jr. was born April 11, 1929 in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of William Ross and Nell Warren (Shiddell) Merritt. He graduated from Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. William earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Zoology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and then a Medical Doctorate from Howard University in 1963. William was united in marriage with Rosa Ellison on January 28, 1950 in Frederick, Maryland. Dr. Merritt served his internship at Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. and his residency in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Merritt was a professor at the University of Kentucky Medical School in Lexington. He later practiced Radiology at Westchester County Hospital in Mt. Kisco, New York. Dr. Merritt and his family came to Decorah in 1977 and he practiced Radiology at Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital until retiring in 1995. He was a member of the American Medical Association and Radiological Society of North America. He served as a Commander and Surgeon in the United States Public Health under the US Coast Guard. He is survived by his wife, Rosa of Ridgeway, Iowa; his children Lenelle Merritt, Sondra Merritt, Ross Merritt (Silvia), Richard Merritt (Carolyn Corbin), and Lauren Merritt; his grandchildren Adrian Mebane, Julian Merritt, Lucas Merritt, Asha Merritt, Alexi Merritt, and Victor Merritt; and great-grandchildren Carson Merritt and Justin Mebane.