Merrill D. Creekmore

Long Beach resident Merrill D. Creekmore, 75, died in Astoria on April 4, 2009. Born in Pine Knot, Kentucky on March 5, 1934, he was the son of Harold and Edna (Carr) Creekmore. He grew up and received his education in Cincinnati, Ohio. At age 17 and a half Merrill joined the United States Navy where he served four years. He was stationed aboard an aircraft carrier during the Korean Conflict and was a plane captain on the flight deck. His military duty complete Merrill settled in Redwood City, California, later living in Sunnyvale for many years. He was employed by Eastman Kodak Company until retirement. His intimate knowledge of film processing and darkroom techniques served his employer well and even after retirement he traveled extensively for Kodak representing them at numerous Olympic Game venues. In 1988 he moved to the Peninsula where he enjoyed the beach life. He was a member of Long Beach Elks, Ocean Park Moose and Ocean Park Eagles. In past years he coached Little league and followed sports, enjoyed duck hunting, boating and water skiing, collecting and tinkering with classic cars and motorcycles and was a member of the Wheel Winders in Redwood City. After moving to the Peninsula he kept a close eye on yard and garage sales, gardened and was committed to recycling anything and eyerything . He and Patricia Pollex were married in 1953. He later married Robin Pickering. Merrill enjoyed many friendships, none more important to him than the friendship and companionship of his beloved canine buddy Burt. Besides Burt, Merrill is survived by his sons Merrill Creekmore Jr. of San Jose, CA and Scott Creekmore of Palo Alto, CA; daughters Suzanne Reed of Long Beach, WA and Robin Watts of Sacramento, CA; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; his sister JoAnn Bowman; and step-children Kelly, David, Steve and Lisa Pickering. Family and friends are invited to an informal gathering at the Long Beach Elks on Saturday, April 11, 2009 from 1 until 3 PM. The guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.