Lloyd Jon Mercer was born on February 14, 1936 in Farnam, Nebraska to Theodore Hughes Mercer and Lula Marie Waggy (Mercer). His mother passed away when he was a newborn, and his father remarried and they moved to Addy, Washington.
Lloyd grew up on a dairy farm with his father, Ted, stepmother Alice, and his siblings Ardith, Glenn, Ted, and Lowell. He attended the State College of Washington (now Washington State University) in Pullman and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture as well as a master of arts degree in agricultural economics. There he met his first wife, Perie Louise Burrow (Mercer), and they married in 1960.
He was a member of the ROTC, was stationed at Lowry AFB in Colorado, and served on active duty for three years. He and Perie then moved to Seattle, and he received a MA and Ph.D in Economics from the University of Washington. Upon graduation, he became a professor of economics at UCSB where he taught for forty years.
On campus, he was an avid supporter of the UCSB basketball team. He was active in the First United Methodist Church and he and his wife Perie raised two daughters, Carolyn and Janet. Sadly, Perie passed away in 1994. Lloyd was fortunate to find the second love of his life, Karen Shillestad Townsend, whom he married in 1998. They lived in Santa Barbara until his retirement, at which time they moved to Washington State.
Lloyd lived a full life with many interests. He read voraciously, played piano, sang in choral groups, and enjoyed photography. He loved to travel, eat at local restaurants, and to go to plays, movies, musical theater, and the opera. He dreamed of publishing a mystery novel and hoped to do this during his retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Karen Townsend Mercer, his daughters Carolyn Mercer Collins (Kevin Collins) and Janet Aileen Mercer (Shane Franco), his stepson, Chris Townsend (Dan Desmarais) and stepdaughters Meg Amos (Dave Amos) and Jen Townsend (Darren Neal), and his grandchildren, Anthony and Ian Ferrer, Evan and Liana Franco, and Emily and Ava Amos.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Candlebrook Lodge/All Care Adult Family home in Bremerton, Washington for their phenomenal care over the past several years. Lloyd passed away peacefully on May 23, 2021. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on August 28 at Tracyton United Methodist Church, Bremerton, Washington.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Santa Barbara Master Chorale.
