On November 14th we lost a strong supporter of our Congregation. Merle Whitt, who had the distinction of being our most senior member at the young age of 96, passed away. For those of us fortunate enough to hear Merle recount his life memories we found ourselves almost mesmerized by his life. A few of the more interesting facts about him are that after being discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1945, he wound up in Los Angeles, where he met, and had neighbors as some of the more well-known Hollywood celebrities; while working for the Justice Department he had conversations with the person who killed Bugsey Segal in Las Vegas; and, after his retirement in Waldorf, was selected as the Senior Volunteer of the Year for the State of Maryland by the Jaycees.
Until the last couple of years, Merle was one of the “regulars” at Sha’are Shalom until illness kept him away. In addition to his presence at services and other activities, Merle was a strong contributor having donated the Eternal Light in memory of his wife Annette and purchasing the letters adorning our Ark. When he made the donation for the Eternal Light, he commented that now he would be able to look up and see the light of his life. That was typical Merle.
Merle will be missed and those of us who had the pleasure of knowing him will always be able to look up and see a light in the life of Sha’are Shalom.