LeMonte Franklin Merritt, aka "Monte," died Tuesday, May 21, 2024 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at the age of 75.  He was born December 4, 1948 at the Angus Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma to Lloyd and Marthelle Merritt.  He was the third of five children.  He began his education at the Flower Mound one room school.  Second grade moved him into the new school building.  He loved growing up on a farm.  He began taking accordion lessons at Hardy Suggs at the age of eight and continued for six years.  He  attended Central Junior High, where his mother taught, and was the recipient of a Citizenship Award and was recognized as "Mr Teenager" for Comanche County by the Kiwanis, in the 8th grade.  Through High School, at Lawton High, he was a part of a quartet and was selected as "Who's Who" by his peers.  He was also voted as the FFA President and FHA Prince, and received the Marvin Bickett Award and Kiwanis Top Music Award.  While attending high school, he drove buses for LPS morning and evening for three years.  He was always a hard worker and hauled hay in the summers.

After high school graduation he married his high school sweetheart, Karen Kay Winkelman, on June 24, 1967 and they moved to Stillwater to attend OSU.  They came home the second semester and he attended Cameron University.  A son, Michael, was born to them on the night of New Year's Day.  Monte was baptized on June 8, 1969 and remained a faithful member of the church.  After he completed a two year associate degree, he began working at PA Chevrolet as a truck mechanic.  Uncle Sam collected his draft number and inducted him into the Army.  His second child, Jennifer, was born just before he left to go to Basic.  He graduated as the top trainee of his battalion at Fort Leonard Wood.  He was one of three who came back to Ft. Sill to be with his family.  He was also recognized as the Top ACL graduate.  Vietnam was on the horizon.  As a Sergeant, he graduated in Field Artillery and went to Fire Base Waifu by.  FANCOCE recognized him as a distinguished graduate and he was the recipient of two bronze stars.

In February of 1972, he was honorably discharged and came home.  Monte then continued his BA at Cameron University and received his Masters of Education from Southwestern.  His third child, Ben, was born and completed his family.  Lawton Public Schools hired him to teach Math at Tomlinson Junior High, where he was also an assistant coach for football and wrestling.  He was transferred to MacArthur High School to teach upper mathematics.  Two of his passions were playing softball with the men from church and golfing with good friends.

In 1994, he left education and was hired by the Lawton Fire Department as the oldest man to complete training.  He climbed their ladder to become a Captain at station 2, where he served the city for 20 years and retired in 2014.  He also served as an elder of the Sullivan Village Church of Christ for almost eight years.

Monte was a big Texas Ranger fan.  He said he was a territorial fan, and would watch the St Louis Cardinals too.  He was so happy when the Rangers won the World Series last year - he never thought he would see the day!  This June, Monte and Karen would have been married 57 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Marthelle Merritt and two sisters, Sharon Thomason and Melonie Bryant.  He is survived by his wife, Karen Merritt, of Lawton;  three children - Michael and his wife Kimberly Merritt of Lawton - Jennifer and her husband Mike Sweat of Cache; Ben and his wife Darci Merritt of Waurika; fourteen grandchildren- Gabriel and Carly Sweat, Judah Sweat, Morgan and Lindsey Merritt, Miranda and Landon Martin, Elijah Sweat, Micah and Hunter Tate, Kayleigh Merritt, Kenyon Sweat, Kayden Sweat and Loralei Merritt; one great grand-daughter, Mae Merritt and one on the way, Dylan Tate; one sister Michele Mabes of Fort Cobb; one brother Eddie and his wife Jeannine Merritt of Tarpon Springs, Florida; and a great number of nieces and nephews.

Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28th 6:00-8:00 pm at Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.  Services will be held at the 8th and Lee Church of Christ on Wednesday, May 29th at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Flower Mound Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for Cancer or Sullivan Village Church of Christ, earmarked for the Tanzania Missionary Program, at 531 SE 45th St, Lawton, Ok 73501.