Gregory Jay Merriam

Gregory Jay Merriam, 80, of Oswego, IL, formerly of Naperville, IL, passed away on March 1, 2026. He was born on November 2, 1945, in Illinois to Jack and Georgia (nee Cook) Merriam. He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Trudy (nee Guttenburger), his parents, and brothers Jeffrey and Charles.

Greg leaves behind his children, Karen Martinez and Ryan Merriam, and his grandchildren, Nicholas and Mia Martinez. Greg also leaves behind his sister Lee Merriam, many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

Greg grew up in Illinois and spent a few years in New Jersey during high school. After graduating from high school, he served in Panama with the army and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University before finding a job as a loss control manager in New Jersey. There he met and married his wife Trudy. In 1978, Greg's job moved him to Naperville, IL where he and Trudy raised their family. While their children were young, Greg volunteered with the children's activities in their HOA as a T-Ball coach and assisting with holiday parties. He and his wife enjoyed couples bowling with other couples in the subdivision. He remained active with the Mundelein High School class of 1963 visiting with his classmates and riding in the parade during homecoming season each year.

Greg was a fan of history and humanities, absorbing any facts he could gather. Retirement gave him the opportunity to dive into his passion. Greg filled his free time by taking his grandkids to museums and zoos. He often talked about how wonderful it was to be retired and have the ability to take his grandchildren to so many places during the quiet of the weekday. Greg enjoyed going on day trips with the Naperville park district to theaters, museums and adventures like Starved Rock State Park. He spent time volunteering at the Naper Settlement as a blacksmith or in the print shop and at Cantigny Park as the tour guide at the mansion.

Visitation for Greg will be held on Friday March 27, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Friedrich Jones Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville, IL 6054. Interment will be private.