Wendell William Mercer, Jr., 61, of Holton, KS, passed away Wednesday, November 8, 2023 loving his family and friends. He was born June 29, 1962 in Syracuse, N.Y., the son of Wendell William Mercer and Sharon Elizabeth (Stark).

Bill, Jr. graduated from Holton High School in 1980; excelling in sports, especially track and cross country. He held multiple long distance running records for many years. He attended Baker University for 1 year and Mesa Community College for 1 year. He graduated from Kansas City Community College in 1984 with his degree in Mortuary Science.

He worked for Lamb-Roberts Funeral Home from 1984 -1985, Dengel and Son Mortuary from 1985-1986 and Mercer Funeral Home from 1986-2000. From 2000-2002 he worked for Midwest Savings and Loan in Topeka, Prairie Band Potawatomi Casino from 2002-2012 and Walmart from 2015-2017. While living in Topeka for a few years, he worked for Quicklane Auto Parts as a deliver driver from 2014-2015, Mission Critical (as a medication delivery driver) from 2017-2018 and Academy Sports from 2018-2019. He returned to Holton and worked for Cecil K- Hometown Market from 2022-2023 and recently Dollar General.

He was a member of E.U.M Church, past member of Holton Rotary Club and past member of Holton Chamber of Commerce.

Bill, Jr. married Cindy Greemore on August 17, 1984 in Holton. His pride and joy, Alex, was born to this union. They later divorced. He married Janeth Trillos Galexo on July 18, 2009 in Barranquilla, Columbia. They later separated.

Survivors include his son, Alex Lenear Mercer (Amanda) of Holton, KS; father, Bill, Sr. “Papa” of Ennis, MT; mother, Sharon E. Pickard (Guy) of Fairway, KS; brother, John Christopher “Chris” Mercer (Tracy) of Holton, KS; grandchildren, Landon Paul, Cooper Lenear, Madiann Rose and Eloise Elizabeth Ethel Mercer all of Holton, KS; nephews, Kaleb Smith (Morgan) and Grant Mercer both of Holton, KS; niece, Megan Mercer of Horton, KS; great-nephews and niece, Gatlin, Jennings and Brecken Smith all of Holton, KS and extended family and friends.

Bill, Jr. enjoyed being near a beach and everything it had to offer, loved music (he attended over 75 concerts with his friends and many with Stacy Wright) and sports stats. As he would say “Music is the soundtrack of life”.

Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Burial will follow at Holton Cemetery. Family will greet friends from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Alex Mercer (to be designated to the 4 grandchildren- education) c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.