Community advocate Matt Mertz dead at 67
Matt Mertz was a familiar face around Mt. Pleasant, often seen on iride buses or navigating his wheelchair downtown, on the Central Michigan University campus and places in between, undeterred by snow or cold or anything that may otherwise stall his appetite for new things, new ideas and his quest for social justice.
Mertz combined his love of community and life into a passion of family devotion, fun and the drive to fight for those who needed allies.
Matt Mertz died Friday, Feb. 26, in Mt. Pleasant.
He was 67 years old.
Besides family, the Isabella County Human Rights Committee was among the first to pay tribute.
“Matt was a powerful advocate for human rights in the Mt. Pleasant community for many years,” the group said on Facebook. “He was a founding member and vice chair of the Handicapped Advisory Board, which later became the Human Rights Committee. We appreciate his service to the community and will miss him dearly.”
He also served on the Isabella Transportation Commission, the only member with physical challenges that also made him a daily customer of the iride buses.
“He was a committed husband; amazing father and father-inlaw; doting grandfather; always-there brother; supportive friend; powerful advocate for peace, justice and equity; and an overall caring human being,” his family summarized in his obituary.
Besides his physical challenges,
Mertz was legally blind but a fervent reader and learner who penned many opinion pieces published in The Morning Sun, CM Life and newspapers across the state, depending on the issue on his mind at the moment.
As one granddaughter summed up, “For a man who could not see color, he brought color to so many lives.”
Mertz also served on the Mt. Pleasant Planning Commission, was a delegate to the Michigan Democratic Party County and State Conventions and volunteered for the Listening Ear Crisis Line.
Among the family’s favorite stories was the time in 1976 when he ran for constable in Union Township but refused to carry a gun.
“Do you really want a blind guy carrying a gun?” he asked at the time.
His community involvement was second only to his love of family.
“He told long stories, laughed eas
ily and often, loved to learn new things, kept an open mind but held to his values, spoke up (but not down), made friends effortlessly, and was game for just about anything,” family members recalled. “He loved familyreunion vacations every summer at Houghton Lake: fishing, swimming, tossing kids in the water, hanging
out at the bonfire, catching up with everyone, and chatting about all manner of topics.”
A memorial service will be scheduled at a time when hugs can be shared, family members aid.
Mertz is survived by his children, Gerald Sutterfield, Curtis Sutterfield, and Sarah Mckay-mertz (John); his grandchildren Brianna (Brian), Tabitha, Alex, Mckinley, Story, Josie and Emmy; siblings Leslie (Steve), Chuck (Laura)
and Bill (Angie); and many other family members, friends and fellow community advocates.
He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy Mckaymertz.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of your choice or to Women’s Aid Services/r.i.s.e. (https://www.riseadvocacy. org/).
A memorial service will be scheduled when hugs can once again be shared.