Mark Thompson Merrill

Mark Thompson Merrill, 69, of Soldotna, Alaska returned to his loving Heavenly Father on October 10, 2018. There will be a viewing at 1 PM with funeral services following at 2 PM on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel located at 159 W. Marydale Ave. in Soldotna. A graveside service will be held at 11 AM on Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Paul Cemetery located at 550 W 100 N, Paul, Idaho.

Mark was born on 25 November 1948 in Tooele, Utah to Floyd and Marjorie Merrill. He spent his childhood in Melba, Idaho with his parents, four sisters, and two brothers. As a boy, he enjoyed hunting and pedaling around town with his friends. As a young man, he savored camping in the Sawtooth Mountains and team sports but was especially known as a tremendous football player. A farm kid, Mark honed a work ethic and earned money for college moving irrigation handlines in the fields around his hometown.

He left Melba for Utah State University in 1967, finishing his accounting degree in 1973. After moving his growing family from Cache County, Utah to Canyon County, Idaho, Mark set out on the greatest adventure of his life-relocating to Anchorage, Alaska. In 1982, Mark gambled on moving to the Kenai Peninsula where he settled in Soldotna, Alaska.

A devoted father to his seven children, Mark was active in Little League, local scouting, and relished the Kenai Mountains, the Peninsula's many lakes, and the Kenai River. Beyond recreating with his children, Mark made many dear friends in the community while opening and growing his own CPA practice. As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mark also devoted his spare time to serving and caring for others.

Beyond his professional peregrinations, Mark's children remember him for his rich, full life. He valued striving to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and imparted to his children a love for the Savior and His teachings. His children remember how Mark shared with others his appreciation for sacred and secular music. A dedicated do-it-yourselfer, he taught each child self-reliance. Above all, he was there for his kids through triumphs and sorrows alike, ensuring that each child felt uniquely loved through individualized attention.

Mark is preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his mother, his four sisters and two brothers, his four daughters and three sons, his twenty-five grandchildren, and his three great-grandchildren."

Funeral Service Date of Service: Oct. 26, 2018