TRAVERSE CITY — Joseph F. "Joe" Merchberger Jr., 92, of Traverse City, formerly of Troy, died Monday morning, Oct. 17, 2011, at his home.Born July 16, 1919, in Birmingham, he was the son of the late Joseph F. Sr. and Agnes (Weimer) Merchberger. On Sept. 10, 1990, in Las Vegas, he married the former Lucille D. Bryan.He proudly served his country with the United States Navy in the Asiatic Pacific during World War II.Joe was a longtime member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Traverse City Elks Lodge, Traverse City Eagles Club and the Traverse City Senior Center. As his hobbies, he enjoyed woodworking, gardening, fishing and summers at Crystal Lake.He is survived by his wife, Lucille D. Merchberger, of Traverse City; children, Ann Kemp, of Muskegon; Denise (Bill) Reitz, of Interlochen, Elaine White, of Sarasota, Fla., and stepdaughters, Barbara (Phil) Renauld, of Traverse City, and Sally (Jim) Peckham; 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; along with many nieces and nephews.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Ruth (DeYoung) Merchberger; daughter, Jeannette Marie Merchberger; son, Joseph Merchberger III; sister, Mary Kathryn; and brothers, John, Paul and Leonard Merchberger.Friends may call at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home from 2 to 5 p.m. today, Oct. 19.A funeral Mass will be offered at St. Patrick Catholic Church at noon Thursday, Oct. 20, with visitation one hour prior to the service.Graveside services with burial will take place at Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens with full military honors will be under the auspices of the V.F.W. Cherryland Post #2780.In remembrance of Joe, memorials may be directed to St. Patrick Catholic Church or to the Traverse City Senior Center.Kindly share your memories with the family on their online guest book at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.Arrangements were made with the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.