Edward “Ned” Michael Merrick, Jr.
June 15, 1945 – January 5, 2018

Ned the Husband
Born on June 15, 1945 in Milton, MA, he was the son of the late Edward Michael Merrick, Sr., M.D., and the late Mary Aileen (Mahoney) Merrick.

Ned the Airman

Ned in the Community

Ned the Leader
Chief Merrick had the honor of serving as the Chief of Police in Plainville from 1995 until 2009. He previously served as a Police Officer in Brookline for twenty-four years, during which time he also worked part-time as Legislative Director for the MPA in the 1980s and 1990s, and was elected President of the MPA in 1998.

Ned the Statesman
From 1981 until 1991, he was a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Joint Labor-Management Committee for Police & Fire, which facilitated the resolution of disputes between municipalities and their first responders. In 1990, Governor Dukakis appointed him as a member of the State-Wide Emergency Telecommunications Board, which implemented enhanced statewide 911 service.

Ned the Gentleman
During ten years of his fifteen year tenure, Chief Merrick also held the position of Plainville Director of Public Safety, managing the town’s Fire, Ambulance, and Communications operations, as well as the Police Department.
Between 2002 and 2008, he was the Chief of Metro-STAR, a one hundred person regional police response team that provided SWAT, Munitions, K-9 operations, and Crisis Negotiation for local police departments. Under his command, the unit provided police security at major events, including the 2004 Democratic National Convention, World Series games, Patriots Play-Off games, and victory parades for the Patriots and Red Sox teams.
Following his retirement from the Plainville Police Department, Chief Merrick continued his work on behalf of police officers as an officer, board member, and Director of Legislative Affairs for the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police.
From 2008 until 2016, he served as the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, which raises money to privately maintain a Police Memorial at the State House, and conducts an annual memorial service for Massachusetts law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty.

Ned the District Governor

A member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks since 1981, he was named District Deputy in 1991. Chief Merrick was particularly devoted to Cops For Kids With Cancer, serving on its board from 2010 until his death.
In addition to his wife, Donna, Chief Merrick leaves his loving children: Lynne Merrick Nagle; Edward M. Merrick III and his wife, Susan Merrick; and Stephen Merrick and his wife, Christina Merrick, all of Marshfield, MA.

Ned the Family Man

Ned the Grandpa
Chief Merrick leaves behind all of the honorable men and women of the Police Departments with whom he had the distinct privilege of serving.
Arrangements
Members of the police departments will privately pay their final respects to Chief Merrick on Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the “Memorial Chapel” of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, followed by a Necrology service offered by the Plainville Lions Club from 2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., and by a Family Prayer from 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The doors to the funeral home will be open to the general public on Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., so that family and friends may gather to honor and remember Chief Merrick for a Visitation with full Police and Veteran’s Honors in the “Memorial Chapel” of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, MA.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Martha Catholic Church, 227 South Street, Route 1A, Plainville, MA. Burial services will immediately follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury, MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Chief Merrick to either Cops for Kids with Cancer, Inc., Attn: Deputy Chief Rafferty, c/o Canton Police Department, 1492 Washington Street, Canton, MA 02021, Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund Inc. c/o PDG Dr. James Roth, 43 Stewart Terrace, Belmont, MA 02478 or to the Plainville Lions Club, P.O. Box 1804, Plainville, MA 02762.
For additional information or to send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit an online guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro. (508) 695-0200