Donald Earl Merchant, child of God, loving husband, father and friend passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. He was a lifelong resident of Pensacola. Don loved his Savior, Jesus Christ, his wife, children, family and his church.

Born in Seminole, A L in 1934, Don moved with his family to Pensacola when he was six years old. He attended local schools and graduated from Pensacola High School in 1953. He worked at Pensacola Hardware, where he met his bride-to-be.

Don proudly served his country in the U.S. Army, where he was a sergeant at Fort Bragg, NC. He participated in the atomic testing at Desert Rock, NV, in 1957. Following his service he returned to Pensacola, where he worked for Gulf Power Company for 38 years, the last 14 of which was in the current theft division. He loved hosting fish fries, casting the net for mullet, and fishing, crabbing and scalloping from his boat in Pensacola Bay. You would find him there just about every Saturday morning, before the crack of dawn, often with his children. When Don retired from Gulf Power in 1996, he volunteered as financial administrator for Immanuel Lutheran Church for the next 21 years. He shared his love of all kinds of music with people and sang bass in the church choir since 1958.

Don was loved by many and will be missed by all who knew him. He is preceded in death by his son, Ronald Kirk Merchant ; his sister, Dottie Gilmore; his mom and dad, Mr. and Mrs. James Merchant ("Bama" and "Bud") .

Those left to cherish his memory includ e his loving wife of 66 years, Jan E. Merchant; a son, Rusty Merchant; a daughter, Melanie J. Haveard (Mike) ; many grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins , grand-nieces and grand-nephews also survive.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the healthcare workers who cared for Don during his long illness, especially the staff of Windermere Memory Care, Bayside Health and Rehabilitation, and Covenant Care Hospice Inpatient Care Center at Sacred Heart Hospital.

A service to honor the life of Donald Earl Merchant will be held at 10:00 a.m. , on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, with Pastor Randy Blankschaen , officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.. A committal service will follow at Bayview Memorial Park with military honors being accorded by the US Army.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Covenant Care Hospice in honor of Don Merchant at: https://w w w.choosecovenant.org/hospice-care/ .