Jackson “Jack” Reed Mercer, 91, of Bowling Green, passed away on July 15, 2016 at the Heritage Corners Health Care Campus, after a period of declining health.
He was born on July 1, 1925 in Bowling Green, Ohio to Galen K. and Marion (Hiles) Mercer. He spent much of his childhood during the Great Depression in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania but returned to Bowling Green to attend High School while living with his Aunt, Hazel Mercer, a dietician and French and Latin languages teacher at the Bowling Green High School.
A member of the “Greatest Generation”, Jack helped his family to survive during the Great Depression by working odd jobs and as a paper boy after school. After graduating as a member of the BGHS class of 1943, Jack proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps, completing 25 combat missions over Nazi occupied Europe during the Second World War, assigned to the 320th Bomb Wing as a tail gunner and bombardier in a B-26 medium bomber. He attained the rank of Technical Sergeant during his service.
Returning to Bowling Green after the war, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill and attended Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1950 with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration.
As the result of a blind date while at BGSU, he met Judith “Judy” Ethel Twist, from Montclair, New Jersey. They married a year after his graduation, on September 8, 1951, in Montclair, NJ. It was a union that lasted nearly 65 years until her passing on April 5, 2016 in Bowling Green.
Their only child, Todd Allen, was born in 1962.
During his working life, Jack was employed by Daybrook Hydraulics in Bowling Green in office administration and sales; General Portland Cement Corporation as a regional sales representative; and finished his career affiliated with Rudolph-Libbe, Inc. managing large, up-scale mobile home communities in Holland and Findlay, Ohio.
Jack was a proud member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while at BGSU, and maintained lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers. He was a Life Member of the B.P.O.E. Elks in Bowling Green. Jack was an avid golfer and bowler, playing for many years on Elks leagues at the Bowling Green Country Club and Al Mar Lanes, respectively, as well as a hunter who yearly made a deer-hunting pilgrimage to western Pennsylvania with 7 buddies, and once hunted moose in Canada. After completing his career, Jack and Judy enjoyed traveling the country to attend Jack’s 320th Bomb Wing reunions, visiting old friends and visiting Todd where he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany, Cleveland, Texas and North Carolina. In 2012, he was honored and thrilled to visit Washington D.C. as a part of the Honor Flight program for veterans.
Jack is survived by his son, Todd (Maria) Mercer of Horb am Neckar, Germany, grandchildren Jackson R. Mercer of Elba, Alabama, and Maximillian and Olivia Mercer of Germany; niece Gayle (Sam) Mitchell and nephew Allen Davis, both of Adrian, Michigan, as well as a number of other nieces, nephews and cousins.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his sister Sylvia Jean (Ralph) Davis of Adrian, Michigan and his Sister-in-Law Barbara (Pete) Brown, of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jack’s remains have been cremated, and a private memorial service will take place in the future. The family sincerely thanks the wonderful staff of Heritage Corner Health Care Campus for their care of Jack for the past 18 months, going above and beyond in their patience and accommodation of his needs and desires.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Elks National Foundation or a Veterans charity of the donor’s choosing. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.hannemanfh.com.
