Merritt W. Wiseman

1934 - 2018

Merritt W. Wiseman

Indio - Merritt Wiseman passed away peacefully from natural causes at his home in Indio on November 20th, 2018. He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. Merritt spent countless hours volunteering his time and efforts for so many here in the Coachella Valley.

He was born September 11th, 1934 to Merritt William Wiseman and Marietta Elisa Wiseman in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father was a JCPenney manager and the family moved to Huron, South Dakota. He attended Huron High School and was a proud member of the Tigers marching band playing the saxophone. After high school, Merritt attended the University of South Dakota and graduated with a BA degree in Business Administration in 1956. As a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, he learned important leadership and financial skills that would be important for life after college. Following in the footsteps of his father, he joined the JCPenney Company shortly after graduation. In 1961 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent two years at Fort Lewis, Washington. Upon his Honorable Discharge from the Army, he was sent to the JCPenney store in Prescott, Arizona where he met his first wife Carol Faye Thomas, who was a registered nurse. They were married in July 1965, and shortly after Merritt accepted a promotion to the JCPenney store in Silver City, New Mexico. All three of their children, Glenn, Mark and Lori Ann were born there. In 1974, another promotion was offered to Merritt which brought the family to Indio. He immediately began his Coachella Valley career of serving the community. He loved helping out with the Indio Downtown Merchants Association, the Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America, Indio Senior Center, Miss Indio Pageant and the Optimist Club.

In 1984, Merritt retired from the JCPenney Company after a 30-year career. It was during this time that he began lifetime commitments to organizations he loved until his death. He found that his talents for organizing charitable events for the community was a key to being able to enjoy lasting fulfillment in helping others. He served as the President for the Indio Chamber of Commerce and helped to establish the volunteer Ambassador Program. It was during this time that Merritt was able to provide help to such events as the Indio Balloon Festival, Tamale Festival and the Southwest Arts Festival.

In September 1993, the Wiseman family suffered the loss of Carol due to complications from cancer. Merritt stayed very active in his role as the CEO of Briteway, developing and managing golf courses. In December 1998, he married Barbara Kirby Johnson and they moved into Heritage Palms in Indio. They loved to travel and he was able to enjoy golf until health issues slowed him down. Both Barbara and Merritt were very involved in the activities that were part of living at Heritage Palms. He greatly enjoyed a 50 year plus membership with his friends at the Elks Club. During these years, Merritt was genuinely proud of his work as a board member of United Way of the Desert for 20 years. He worked diligently as a board member for Valley Sanitary District to provide the best services and cost effectiveness for all those who live in their service area. Helping those with limited means was also a passion for him, and he served on the board for Volunteers in Medicine to make a difference in that way. In 2010, Merritt was genuinely touched when he received recognition for his work as a Riverside County Senior Inspiration Award Winner.

No tribute to the life of Merritt Wiseman would be complete without recognizing one of his greatest joys, and that was his longtime work with the Indio Sunrise Rotary Club. He started in 1978 and is a Past President. The work he was able to accomplish with his fellow Rotarians was a huge part of his life. Whether it was providing parking for the Date Festival or the Tamale Festival, he was ready and he loved the support and giving spirit of all those in Rotary. Students throughout the valley benefited greatly from the efforts of Indio Sunrise Rotary by receiving free backpacks. Students that participated in the annual Desert Sands School District Math Field Day were able to receive very nice trophies and awards that were generously donated by those in Rotary. Some of those smiling students included his own grand-daughters.

Merritt is survived by his wife Barbara Kirby Wiseman. Also surviving are his three children Glenn (wife Kellie, daughters Kylie, Jayden and son Cody), Mark (wife Jessica and son Nick) and Lori Sawyer (husband Don and son Brent). His older sister Donna Jean McDonnell residing in Maryland is surviving as well. Predeceased members of Merritt's family include his father Merritt (1979) and mother Marietta (2002), his wife Carol (1993) and his grandson Matthew (2016 - Mark).

The Wiseman family requests that in lieu of flowers, that donations to any of the above organizations that Merritt loved so deeply would be greatly appreciated. The outpouring of support to the family has been very comforting. Those that knew Merritt and those affected by his volunteerism are the better for it and his enthusiasm and spirit will be deeply missed.