Local veteran, firefighter remembered for being determined, adventurous and loyal

POCATELLO — A Pocatello man who died in a motorcycle crash last weekend is being remembered for living life to the fullest.

Jared Merrill, 25, died Oct. 27, 2024, on the scene of the crash in Power County due to his injuries. Merrill was a 2017 graduate of Highland High School and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He enjoyed helping people and loved all things outdoors, according to his obituary.

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“He was caring and tender, the epitome of work hard play hard (and he) loved to have a good time,” his loved ones said in a statement to EastIdahoNews.com. “Whenever he was around it was an adventure. Those he loved he would do anything for. (He) would give the shirt off of his back.”

Merrill served in the U.S. Army and graduated from Fort Benning as a rifleman. He did a six-month deployment in Cameroon, Africa, and later traveled to Rwanda to help train the Rwandan Military.

He eventually became a wildland firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management. Merrill worked on an engine crew for one year, and at the time of his death, he was a member of the Snake River Hotshots in Pocatello. This year, he traveled to six different states to help fight fires.

“Anything Jared said he would do, he would do,” his loved ones stated. “Jared said he wanted to be a hotshot and he made sure that happened.”

They continued, “It was funny that he became a firefighter because he seemed to be made of fire, one that no one could put out. He was an unstoppable force. Jared loved fully and when he put his mind to something he was all in and committed. He loved his family and his country.”

Not only was Merrill determined and loyal, but his family mentioned he had a gift of befriending anyone and talking to people he had just met as if he’d known them his whole life.

“He was the funniest and goofiest dude but you also had the most insightful, deep and meaningful conversations with him,” Merrill’s cousin and close friend Preston Page explained.

Merrill always tried to make the most out of any situation he was in and lived a life full of happiness, something his loved ones will never forget.

“I will remember his laugh. It was contagious and would always make me laugh,” Merrill’s girlfriend Natalie Redetzke said. “I will never forget how much joy he had. It was so pure and genuine.”

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2024, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 4890 Whitaker Road in Pocatello.

A viewing will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Road in Chubbuck. A viewing will also take place at the church at 10 a.m. prior to the funeral. Burial will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Merrill family with the unexpected funeral expenses. To donate, click here.