RALEIGH--Stephen Ward Merritt, 70, died Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. A visitation will be held at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, located at 200 Southeast Maynard Road in Cary, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 21. A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, located at 117 South Academy Street in Cary at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 22.

Most recently, Steve was the Airport Manager for Triangle North Executive Airport in Franklin County.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene Worth Merritt and Rosa Farrior Merritt, of Wilmington.

Surviving: his wife, Jane Godwin Merritt; his daughter, Sarah Merritt Ryan (William) of Raleigh; his son, Wellington Holmes Merritt II (Brittany) of Decatur, Ga.; his sister, Sandra Merritt Brown (Larry) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; brothers, Eugene Worth Merritt, Junior and John Douglas Merritt (Felicia), all of Wilmington; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Bahamas Habitat (bahamashabitat.org), Able Flight (ableflight.org) or to provide scholarships to train Civil Air Patrol cadets by mailing a check made out to "Steve Merritt Scholarship Fund" to 103 Dumbarton Street, Cary, NC 27511.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Cary.