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ROBERT MERTEN A big man with a clear vision and social conscience, died on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at The Retreat, an Alzheimers/dementia facility in Rio Rancho, NM where he had received loving and attentive care for the last 21 months of his journey with Lewy Body Dementia. Bob, as he was known, was born at home on June 12, 1934 outside of Paterson in Totowa, NJ. His mother, Gerda Merten, was an immigrant from Germany. His father, Nicholas came from Holland. Bob attended grammar school in Totowa and high school in Little Falls, NJ. He earned a degree in Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MA and PhD from Princeton University and a LLD from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He may have been proudest of his welding certification which he acquired during his 20 years as an union ironworker and member of Local 357 in Springfield, MA. As a recipient of a Halloway grant that paid for his education at RPI, Bob spent 3 years as a Lt. in the USMC. After completing his studies at Princeton he became an assistant professor of Sociology at Yale University. In the 1960's he became involved in the civil rights movement. Twice he ran for the US Congress as a member of the American Independent Movement (AIM), a New Haven community group opposed to the Vietnam War. In 1973 Bob and his family left New Haven and moved to a remote hillside farm in Worthington, MA. There, while traveling at times to do ironwork, he rebuilt the old house, brought water to it from an up- hill spring, installed solar and wind systems to provide electricity, developed a maple syrup business, purchased and operated a sawmill and cut 20 cords of firewood each year to heat their home and boil the maple sap. At the age of 62 he returned to school, this time to become a federal attorney working seven years with the National Labor Relations Board. Throughout his entire life Bob sought knowledge. He seemed to be able to do almost anything. His desire to see social justice guided his actions. He was a gifted teacher and spoke with courage and elegance for the causes he believed in. He was the author of numerous publications. In Worthington he was at one time chairman of the planning board, a founding board member of the Maples Senior Housing and a member of the zoning board of appeals. In 1990 he was a candidate for the Massachusetts State legislature. Bob is survived by his wife and partner of 55 years, Karin Koger; two sons, Christopher Merten Cook of Gloucester, MA and in Albuquerque, NM, Benjamin Koger Cook, his wife Jacqueline and their two sons, Mackye Nicholas and Joshua Jackson. His daughter, Leslie Jane, died after a car accident in Cambridge, MA in 1979. Bob also leaves a sister, Gerda Ann Spiotta, her husband George, their three daughters and two cousins. To further understanding of the terrible disease that took his life, Bob's brain has been donated to Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A Memorial Service will be held back in Massachusetts at a later date. Those wishing to honor his life may do so by contributing to the Alzheimers Association and most especially, following Bob's example, doing something that will make this world a better place. Arrangements by Direct Funeral Services, 2919 4th St., Albuquerque. 505-343-8008.
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