Dr. Max Albert Mertz

Dr. Max Albert Mertz, 91, who gave with joy to all he encountered and is loved by each one whose life he touched, died in his home on June 23, 2011 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer. Dr. Mertz was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on June 28, 1920, the third of five children of Karl Albert Otto and Margaret Neal Mertz. An avid and lifelong pilot who began flying with the Army Air Corps during WWII, Max lived an adventurous life, exploring new places and meeting new people every step of the way. His voracious appetite for education includes a bachelor's degree with a triple major in Anthropology, Sociology and Military Science at the University of Nebraska. His graduate degrees at the master's and doctoral levels were in Clinical Psychology and Foundations of Education, with a focus on gifted children. His schools include the University of Chicago, New York University, the Vassar Institute for Child Development and the University of Houston. Max was a lifelong Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, with membership in the River Oaks Rotary Club, Houston, Texas and Taos Rotary Club, New Mexico. Through his Rotary service he was involved with the scholarship program of World Campus Afloat, Chapman College, Orange, California. He was also instrumental in establishing the St. John's School in Houston with the Reverend Thomas W. Sumners. Max and his wife Nancy were key founders of the festival Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico. His honors are numerous, with his service to young people recognized by all who knew him. Max is remembered with great love by his beautiful family, especially his ineffable wife of 53 years, Nancy Alma Miller Mertz; and his four indescribable children: his son, Max Edward Mertz, wife Valerie Barton and grandchildren Haley Margaret and Sarah Barton, of Juneau, Alaska; his daughter Margaret Stover Mertz of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; his daughter Patricia Parker Mertz Moayedi, husband Alex, grandson Chris, wife Kim and great-grandchildren Madeline, Tess and Eli of Baltimore, Maryland, granddaughter Jennie Moayedi McCabe, husband Jonathan and great-granddaughter Koralie of Dripping Springs, Texas; his son Aaron Wright Mertz, wife Sharon, grandson Grant and wife Esther, granddaughter Valerie, partner Brandon and great-grandchildren Mia and Grayson, all of Lafayette, Louisiana; and his nephew David Flory, wife Lauren, and their children Krystal and Kameron of Houston, Texas; along with other loved nieces and nephews, children and close friends, including Gregg Waddill and Sharron Swann of Austin, Texas. For those who wish to make a gift in celebration of Max's life, please give to the Hospice & Palliative Care Center, Attn: Finance Department, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 (online options available as well), or to St. Anne's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 11437, Winston-Salem, NC 27116. Services officiated by the Rev. Lawrence Womack will be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 2690 Fairlawn Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27106 on June 26, 2011 at 5:00 pm. A private family burial will take place in New Mexico in the fall. Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home in Rural Hall is serving the Mertz family. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com

Memorials:
Hospice & Palliative Care Center, Attn: Finance Department, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 (online options available as well), or to St. Anne's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 11437, Winston-Salem, NC 27116.

Service:
Services officiated by the Rev. Lawrence Womack will be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 2690 Fairlawn Drive, Winston Salem, NC 27106 on June 26, 2011 at 5:00 pm. A private family burial will take place in New Mexico in the fall.

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