Merle Eakin Obituary

Merle Charles Eakin, 88, of Prineville, Oregon, passed away peacefully on July 6 from Kidney failure, surrounded by family, Poppy the dog, and his three-legged cat, Socks.
Merle was born in Portland, Oregon on March 21, 1937, the son of Lillian Oma Davisson and Millard Eakin. He grew up on the family wheat ranch in Grass Valley. The family moved to Powell Butte when Merle was in sixth grade, and he went on to graduate from Redmond High School in 1955, where he played basketball and baseball.
He fondly remembered showing Registered Shorthorn cattle with his family at county fairs and livestock exhibitions across the country - from the Pacific International in Portland to Seattle, Spokane, Ogden, the Cow Palace in San Francisco (where Grandpa famously got lost), the State Fair in Salem, Denver's Great Western, and Phoenix. He won all-around showman honors five times at the Bend Rotary 4-H Fat Stock Show and twice earned grand champion steer.
At Oregon State College, he played on the freshman basketball team and earned a degree in Agricultural Science in 1959. He was a member of the Theta Xi fraternity, where many legendary OSU stories were born, and he met his wife, Dar, at a collegiate 4-H meeting. He also served in the Air Force Reserves.
Merle married Eva Darlene Johnson in September 1960, and they moved to Powell Butte. He worked at Hudspeth's feedlot down the Crooked River while Dar taught P.E. at Crook County High School. In 1963, Hudspeth's sold a bull to a ranch in Modesto, California. Merle and Dar delivered the bull, were offered a job and stayed in California. They missed waterskiing on Prineville Reservoir and Lake Billy Chinook, snow skiing at Mt. Bachelor, and being close to friends and family, so they returned to Oregon a year later.
Back home, they raised three daughters - Renae, Heidi, and Tonya - who followed in their father's footsteps by showing sheep, cattle, and swine in 4-H. A skilled deer and elk hunter, Merle packed horses, canvas tents, cookstoves, and cots to hunt with the same group (Buchanan, Burnside, Wegner) for 46 years. In later years, the tradition evolved into what he jokingly called "elk resorting," as RVs gradually replaced tents.
He later sold veterinary supplies across the Northwest for Stocklin Supply and Whitmoyer Laboratories for 15 years, until he had enough cattle and sheep to run on the Imnaha River in Eastern Oregon. His work and adventures took him to Cove, La Grande, Hay Creek, The Dalles, Astoria, Alaska, and eventually Hillsboro, where he met Susan Willhoite.
From that point on, Merle and Sue could always be found in the beef barn, showing cattle for the last 25 years at events like Red Bluff, Bet on Red, Klamath Falls, and Winnemucca, and at fairs across Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Puyallup, and the Oregon State Fair.
About 15 years ago, Merle and Sue moved back to Prineville, continuing the cattle show legacy. Bonded by icy winter drives, 95-degree branding days, run-ins with elk, rogue rent-a-bulls, and Safeway hip mishaps, they built a life full of laughter and cattle. Lazy J became known for warm hospitality, a good porch, and always having a drink in hand for visitors.
Merle loved sports - especially watching his kids and grandkids compete in volleyball, basketball, football, track, softball, baseball, and tennis. He was always in the stands, cheering (sometimes a bit too loudly - officials occasionally asked him to quiet down or step out). In recent years, there was rarely a moment when a football or basketball game wasn't on the TV at home.
He is survived by his partner Susan Willhoite of Prineville, sister Brenda Eakin Hector (Phil); daughters Renae Eakin Weber (Terry) of Vale, Heidi Lynn Lea of Prineville, and Tonya Irene Eakin Koopman (Mark) of Bend; grandchildren Jessica Lea Mumm (Jason) of Prineville, Zachary Byron Lea (Lexi) of Ellensburg, WA, Andrew Eakin Weber (Morgan) of Redmond, and Kelsy Eakin Weber of Vale; great-grandchildren Aurora, Amiyah, and Addyson Mumm of Prineville; and nieces and nephews Matt Hector (Carrie), Craig Hector (Ashley), Suzanne Murzello (Marlon), Jeff Eakin, Guy Allison, Greg Allison (Jeanie), Shawn Johnson.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Carey Foster Hall at the Crook County Fairgrounds on August 17, 2025, from 2 to 4 p.m. Cake will be served.