Merrill Broad's Obituary
Longtime Tucson resident Merrill Broad, 89, passed away Monday.
Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to George and Gwen Broad, Merrill was the youngest of three siblings. He is pre-deceased by his sister Rita, and brother, Leo.
Merrill joined the Navy at the end of World War II serving on the USS Thompson as secretary to the ship’s commander. When his service ended, Merrill returned to Uniontown and shortly after met the woman who would become his wife and life partner, Phyllis. They were married for 65 years but had known each other for 70. Their first date, prophetically, was a musical called “If I’m Lucky.”
In 1958, the pair packed up their young family that included daughters Sherri and Amy, left their extended families behind, and headed out West to Tucson. Here in the desert their life bloomed and their family grew to include another daughter, Judy. They quickly became an integral part of the Jewish community as members of Congregation Anshei Israel, where Merrill served on the board of directors.
Merrill was co-owner of the Shelter Cocktail Lounge for 28 years with George Markovich. Merrill was a straight and honest businessman with an unshakable work ethic who spent long hours not only tending bar but also tending to his regular customers who shared much about their lives and personal experiences with him.
Ironically, Merrill never drank anything stronger than a cup of coffee.
After his retirement, Merrill began an entirely different career as a crossing guard for Tucson Unified School District. He became a fixture at the corner of 5th Street and Chantilly, where he crossed Sewell Elementary School children for 19 years. With his cheerful, friendly demeanor and caring for the safety of his young charges, Merrill easily became a favorite of the school’s staff and students alike — not to mention the countless motorists and neighbors he would greet daily with a wave. Merrill was awarded the Pima County Crossing Guard of the Year award for the 2010-2011 school year.
Family was the most important thing to Merrill and his daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were his greatest source of joy and pride.
Merrill Broad is survived by his wife Phyllis, daughters Sherri Bloch (Rabbi Avi) of St. Louis, MO.; Amy Direnfeld (Dr. Robert) of Tucson; and Judy Sanfield (Phillip) of Torrance, CA.; 9 grandchildren (Yitzhak, Elisheva, Chani, Devorah, Elayna, David, Zachary, Abigail and Sarah) and 12 great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Evergreen Mortuary on Oracle Road. Rabbi Robert Eisen will officiate.
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