William Burtis Mercer, 84, died suddenly of heart failure on Monday,September 1, 2008, at Anne Arundel Medical Center. He was a resident of Cape Saint Claire near Annapolis for 37 years. Mr. Mercer was born on August 12, 1924 and raised in Fairmont, West Virginia. He lived in Frederick,
Maryland from 1952 until 1971.
He received a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a Masters in Chemistry from The Ohio State University, and taught Chemistry and Mathematics at Denison University in Ohio and Salem
College in West Virginia. Mr. Mercer worked for the Department of Defense at Fort Detrick in Frederick, then at the Naval Ship Research and Development Center in Annapolis, before his retirement in 1985. Mr. Mercer held several patents with coworkers at NSRDC.
He was an active member of Cape Saint Claire United Methodist Church, where he served on the Board and visited the sick and shut-ins. He was a longtime
member of the American Chemical Society and the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. Mr. Mercer studied Spanish and French and enjoyed painting watercolors and baking bread. He was the son of the late Arza Fountain Thomas Mercer and Ella Burtis Schooley Mercer. He is survived by his wife Doris C. Mercer, nee Fisher,
whom he married on October 16, 1955. Mr. Mercer is also survived by his daughter, Susan Mercer Coale of Arnold, a son, Mark Burtis Mercer of Lutherville, four grandchildren, Katie Coale, Amanda Coale, Jenny Mercer and Jamie Mercer, and one brother, Herbert B. Mercer of Conway, South Carolina. A Memorial Visitation will be held on Friday, September 12th, at Barranco & Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home from 2-4 and 6-8pm. Memorial Services
will be held at Cape Saint Claire United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 13th at 11am. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Cape Saint Claire United Methodist Church Memorial Fund, 855 Chestnut Tree Drive, Annapolis, MD 21409.