The family of Mersil Carl Troch are sad to announce his sudden death on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at Tansley Woods Long-term Care facility in Burlington, Ontario.

Mersil, or Mert as he was more commonly known, will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Shirley (nee MacDonald), his daughter, Patricia (Jouni) and his sons, Steven and Robert. Mert was a proud and loving grandfather to Caitlin (Brodie), Carleigh (Funmi), Alexander, Tara, Matthew, Joshua and Jamie, as well as a proud great grandfather to Rowan, Esmae, Arlowe, Nellie and Kit.

Mert was born on June 13, 1934 in the Ukrainian community in Ethelbert, Manitoba. He was the middle son of Nellie (nee Medwid) and Peter Troch. In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his two brothers, Victor and Boris.

Mert and Shirl‘s love story began at the Olympia Restaurant in Owen Sound where Shirley was known to hang out with her girlfriends. She spotted Mert in the summer of ’54 when he came in to the restaurant with a group of his young friends. Waiting till he left the restaurant, Shirley followed him to his ‘49 Mercury and stepped in front of it as he was starting to head down Owen Sound‘s Main Street. He stopped, she hopped in, and they have travelled together ever since. As a close family member observed ‘He was the love of her life, and she of his‘.

Shortly after, they were married and moved to the growing town of Oakville. Mert was a conscientious and hard worker providing well for his growing family. In addition to his management position, he had a parttime job fixing televisions in peoples‘ homes. The family remembers accompanying him on many home visits and waiting in the family station wagon while he made his service calls. Family was always the centre of Mert‘s life. He happily participated in every aspect of his children‘s lives, sharing his love of the outdoors, of sports (especially the Leafs and BlueJays) and taking them to the numerous sport activities he encouraged them to participate in. While he did not get the opportunity to travel outside of Canada very often he was the organizer of cross-country camping trips for his young family, sharing his love for exploring new places and new experiences. Mert was also very skilled with his hands and did woodworking in his meticulously organized workshop and many home renovation projects. He took pride in his work, which included transporting and reconstructing a cedar shake cottage from Appleby College, with the help of his two sons and his late son-in-law, Neil.

After his retirement Mert and Shirl moved up to their cottage on Big Straggle Lake. From there they enjoyed snowmobiling, boating and golfing together. After a move first to a cabin on a river near Bancroft, and then to a house in the Beaver Valley, Mert and Shirl returned to settle in a home in Burlington. From there they became immersed in bowling with Mert running one of the leagues for 25 years. With his strong organizational skills and his keen sense of fair play (and Shirley‘s help) he was able to keep things running smoothly. He loved both the challenge of the game and the companionship of his teammates.

Over the last number of years, it became apparent that Mert was struggling with severe memory loss. Even with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis he and Shirley continued to maintain a quiet life together, enjoying Sudoku with their morning coffee and newspaper, watching televised sporting events, going for walks in the neighbourhood they loved, and spending time with their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Eventually the difficult decision was made to move Mert into an environment where he could receive more care. Although he found the move into Tansley Woods very challenging, he did endear himself to the staff there. The Troch family would like to express their deepest appreciation to the staff for their unwavering support and patience during his time with them.

Mert will be remembered by his family for his quiet steadfastness, his kindness, his dependability and his lowkey sense of humour. His family is thankful for the guidance, encouragement and the unwavering support he provided them. He was the solid foundation that the family was built upon.

Donations to the Alzheimer Society or a charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated in honour of Mert‘s memory. A private family celebration of Mert‘s life will be held in the near future.