In Memory of Merlyn Yoder

I haven't seen Merlyn Yoder in 12 years.  I was never close with him.  We were never friends.  We only knew each other for a short summer in 2006. Truth is, we didn't even like each other. I'm not here to put the guy down and I am sad to hear of his passing, but I'm also not here to lie or sugarcoat. I'm here to remember Merlyn as I knew him.

When I first met Merlyn I tried to get along with him and we even did for a short period of time.  Yet Merlyn had an automatic assumption that everyone hated him and in return he hated you right back.  I spent one day at work trying to get to know Merlyn as best as I could, and he opened up a little to me that day. He told me a bit about his past and then during the lunch hour took me to a little spot of a millionaire farmer who had 5 daughters (good looking daughters may I add) that spent a lot of time swimming and sun bathing in the pond out back of the house. I always wondered why Merlyn kept a pair of binoculars in his truck, and that day I found out.

Merlyn wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and he was extremely sensitive about the subject.  Once a farmer and his little boy came into the shop and while the Dad talked with one of the other workers, the little boy watched Merlyn.  I don't think the kid was being mean, as he was only 4 years old or so, but he asked Merlyn if he was retarded. Merlyn took off on a power walk straight into the other room yelling at the top of his lungs, "Get this God damn kid outta here right now!!! Get him out of here!!"

Then there was the time Merlyn got me fired from the job.  A good friend of mine, Carl Forgy had gotten into a bad car accident the night before.  Carl was coming home from a professional wrestling show, and was extremely exhausted. He had not been drinking or doing drugs, but Merlyn wanted to run his mouth that Carl had been drunk and on drugs at the time of his accident.  I tried telling Merlyn that he was mistaken, but he kept on insisting. My friend Neal wouldn't have any of it.  While I tried to tell Neal to just drop it and ignore Merlyn, he defended Carl tooth and nail. They yelled and screamed at one another as I stood back and watched.

As I thought it might turn physical, I went and grabbed our boss Perry Draisey.  He came in and broke up the fight with Neal and Merlyn.

Neal was asked to go home for the day and since I was his ride, they asked me to take him.  We lived a half hour from work, so they told me to just come back the next day.

We came back the next morning and Perry fired both of us.  He said he didn't have time to talk about it right now, but we could call him later that night and he'd let us know why.  Neal said he knew damn good and well it was because he had fought with Merlyn the day before.

I called Perry that night and asked him why he had fired me.  He told me all of the many reasons he got rid of Neal.  Each of which is a story in itself. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and the Merlyn fight being 9 of 9 reasons he finally decided to get rid of Neal.  And why did he get rid of me?  Because Neal and I rode together. I was Neal's ride.

So I guess my memories of Merlyn aren't the best, and to some for that reason, they shouldn't be shared.  I'm not a part of that some.

I am sorry to know that Merlyn met a premature end.  I do hope in the last 12 years since I last saw him that he did find some peace.  I remember that one solitary day where we got along.  I wish we would have had more.