Our 10-4 family and the truck show world suffered yet another loss when Frank Merrill, the longtime manager and producer of the Brooks Truck Show in Brooks, Oregon, passed away suddenly on October 25, 2023, at just 62 years old. Frank Arthur Merrill was born on November 23, 1960, to Ralph and Geraldine Merrill. Frank grew up on a farm in Hubbard, Oregon. He helped on the family farm but loved working on machinery more than other farm work. After graduating from North Marion High School in 1979, he worked for a few local businesses including Young and Morgan, Foster Farms, Mallorie’s Dairy and Pepsi, operating equipment and driving trucks. This became his passion. He worked many years for Pepsi in Mt. Angel, devoting much of his time to his work, and recently had become their senior driver. Because of his love for trucks and his friendship with Donnie Groat, Frank became involved with the Pacific Northwest Truck Museum in Brooks, Oregon, and later became its president. He was involved with many of the events held at Power Land and was the chairman of the annual truck show. Last summer (August 2023) was the largest show ever, with over 400 trucks in attendance. Frank spent countless hours calling and communicating with people regarding the show, and he was always there to help. Frank also worked hard restoring a 1982 Freightliner cabover in honor of his and his dad’s love for the OSU Beavers. He got permission to fly the Beavers mascot on the side of the truck, and the black and orange rig became a memorial to his dad. Frank loved to cover a truck with lights and attend as many parades as possible. He is survived by his mother Geraldine Cooley, sister, Nina King, his Aunt Rose, Uncle Art Zehner, and cousins Ann Merrill, Jenni Jones, Jill Whitlatch, Lucy Juvenal, and George Baker. A celebration of Frank’s life was held on November 18, 2023, at the Brooks Truck Museum. A procession of over 50 trucks, led by a police escort, traveled from Pepsi in Mt. Angel to the museum in Brooks, where some 300 people gathered to celebrate Frank’s life. At the time of this writing, his cause of death had not been determined. Frank always took great care of us before, during, and after the truck show, and he even supported our charity truck show (TFK) in Southern California by sponsoring trophies in the name of the museum (even though he paid for the sponsorships with his own money). But that was just the way Frank was. He will be sorely missed by all of us at 10-4 Magazine, Truckin’ For Kids, the Brooks Truck Show, and everyone who knew him. RIP, friend.
