Merlin C. Smith passed away peacefully at home on January 20, 2020 surrounded by his wife and children. Born in Ogden, Utah on September 9, 1928, he was raised the third of five boys with his single mother. His early years were marked by the poverty of the Great Depression. Although his family was of another religion, the block teachers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would stop by frequently to assist them. His mother would send him and his younger siblings to bed but he would listen through the walls. He had a repeated dream that he told his mother meant they should join The Church of Jesus Christ, something that occurred in his life many years later. After the family moved to California, he wrote out a set of affirmations that he wanted to accomplish in his life. One was the statement, "I will be great!" These affirmations were a guide for his life. When he was drafted during the Korean conflict he married Georgette just before leaving to Germany. One child, John ("Jackie"), was born to their marriage. After returning home Merlin completed his university studies and entered medical school at the College of Medical Evangelists (Loma Linda Medical School). The couple was divorced and Merlin determined to begin a new life. After graduating from medical school, he began a residency in Oakland, California. There he asked a beautiful young X-ray technician, Donna Angeli, to dinner where he learned, to his great delight and surprise, that she was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ. They were subsequently married and together they began an exciting family adventure that would eventually bring them twelve children. After Merlin's orthopedic residencies they settled in Orange County, California, during the mid-1960s where he became the first orthopedic surgeon in Huntington Beach. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965 in the old Santa Ana Stake Center. In 1967 Merlin was sealed together for eternity to his sweetheart "Dolly" and their then four children in the Oakland California Temple. As the family grew so did his medical practice. He also learned to fly airplanes and eventually received an instrument rating. The family motto was "Work, Work, Work!" and he exemplified this ethic in all that he did. Even family vacations were opportunities to work at the family "ranch". Thus, on one such "vacation" he and his boys planted 30,000 sapling trees. In 1978 Merlin felt the strong inspiration to leave his medical practice behind. He sold his office in Huntington Beach and all his assets and moved with his family to the ranch in Humboldt County, just above the Redwood forest. His hard work and generosity allowed him to help build up the Church of Jesus Christ in that remote area. When they left two and one-half years later, the branch of the Church had a beautiful new chapel where they still worship today. He always felt that their years in the Redwoods was their mission for the Church. In 1982 the family moved back to southern California where they settled in Glendale and he began practicing orthopedics again. Their twelfth child was born in 1984, when he was 56 years old. Feeling a desire to provide for his family, he determined to buy and manage apartments, an avocation he always loved. When an economic recession required him to make major financial adjustments in 2000, he quickly determined to sell their home in Glendale and move into a one-bedroom home at their apartments. While appearing to be a set-back, this move turned out to be a period of great joy as he was called to be the bishop of the Burbank 3rd Ward at the age of nearly 72 years old. He served faithfully and with vigor for the next five and one-half years until his release. He continued working full-time doing orthopedic evaluations until his retirement in 2016, at the age of 88 years old. In his final years he loved serving in the Los Angeles Temple and in many other Church assignments. Looking back on his life Merlin reflected that he was able to fulfill his childhood affirmation to become great. He realized that the greatest thing he ever did was to be a faithful husband, father and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was always very generous and kind and tried to pattern his life after Mathew 25:40 "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Merlin is survived by his wife Donna, their children and spouses, Robert (Kristine), Donald, Todd (Michelle), Charles, Jason (Cher), Treva (Luis), Anjanae (Mark), Bethany (Lee), Eva/Molly, David (Carolyn), Shayla, Emily (Stewart), and their 48 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on February 1, at 2:00 p.m. at the Burbank 3rd Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 136 N. Sunset Canyon Drive, Burbank, CA 91501.
