Politics
Ric Grenell Announces Tragic Personal Loss: ‘An American Hero’
In a heartfelt tribute published on the social media platform X, Kennedy Center Director Richard Grenell announced the passing of his grandfather, Merle Lashey, a veteran of the Second World War. Lashey was 101 years old.
Grenell took an opportunity in the post to reflect on the heroic service Lashey rendered to his country and his honorable life.
Lashey is a prime example of why the individuals who lived and served during World War II were known as the Greatest Generation. The manner in which he served his country during this deadly conflict is a testament to the values of duty, honor, and patriotism that have become a foundational pillar of the American identity.
The veteran sat down with the Ohio State Alumni Magazine for an interview just two years ago, where he shared a number of stories and experiences from his life.
“By 5:30 a.m., Lashey and his companion, Sue Marley ’56, are tooling down Wellness Drive to the Marion Family YMCA, where Lashey uses the pool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. ‘I do a few laps, then walk up and down the lanes for 45 minutes, kicking my legs and arms. It’s like line dancing.'”
“Lashey can trace his commitment to fitness back to his days as a star basketball player at Marion County’s former Claridon High School. Being in shape certainly helped when, in 1944, he landed in France with the 44th Infantry Division three months after D-Day. Lashey scouted evacuation routes, dove into foxholes under fire and marched across France, Germany and Austria, earning three battle stars by the time he was 21.”
The piece about Grenell’s grandfather noted that he stayed fit and nimble for the entirety of his life, which also included a career in farming, becoming the CEO of a credit union, serving as the commissioner of Marion County, and as an agricultural consultant in Kenya, Egypt, and Switzerland.
Lashey was married to his wife Evelyn for 63 years. The couple had three children (David, Beth, and Miriam) along with three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandson. Evelyn passed away in 2010.
“In considering Lashey’s long, wonderful life, it’s clear he has a remarkable ability to take risks, embrace change and keep moving forward. For instance, in 1946, he resumed his studies at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he had begun classes before being drafted within a year of his high school graduation. But after a few semesters, life changed. His father-in-law got sick and could no longer run the family farm. Lashey left school to take over. It was a big job. While he’d grown up on a 10-acre farm with a few chickens and cows, now he was in charge of 50 times that acreage and thousands of livestock,” the article continued.
After farming for 12 years, Lashey began rethinking his career path after a close friend sustained a serious injury from a corn picker accident, which led to the loss of his hands. He decided to go back to college at the age of 37.
And, like he did in all things in life, he excelled as a student, receiving several academic awards and graduating in 1963 with a degree in agricultural economics, before going on to lead an extraordinary life chock-full of accomplishments.
