Vincent P. Merz, 83 a retired U.S. Navy Captain, and subsequently, a private sector senior executive, died on June 11, 2023 at home with his family.

Captain Merz, a Naval Flight Officer, served in the U.S. Navy for more than 26 years until 1988, and his contributions were most notable in the Anti-Submarine Warfare mission area and the field of Naval Aviation test and evaluation.

His operational assignments included three tours in Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance squadrons, culminating in command of VP-22 in 1979/80. A graduate of the U. S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1972, Captain Merz served three tours at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MD leading the Force Aircraft Test Directorate from 1984 until retirement in August 1988. During his over 26 years of service he accumulated in excess of 5,500 flight hours in a wide variety of types and models of aircraft.

Mr. Merz's second career was an extension of his first. He was an Aviation Technical Specialist and Senior Executive spanning three decades, most recently with Zenetex/Information Spectrum Inc./Anteon Corp., providing professional services in support of Naval Aviation at the Patuxent River Naval Aviation Complex.

Captain Merz was a native of Sterling, NY and graduated from General Motors Institute of Technology in 1961 with a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree. Subsequently, he earned advanced degrees at the Naval Postgraduate School, Salve Regina College, Florida Institute of Technology, and Strayer University. He was a graduate of Leadership Maryland, Class 2000. Formal military training included graduation from the Armed Forces Staff College and the College of Naval Warfare.

Mr. Merz, a USSF certified soccer referee, enjoyed over 20 consecutive years of contribution to youth through adult soccer in the southern Maryland region. He was life-time member of the Association of Naval Aviation, and a stalwart of the local chapter of the International Test and Evaluation Association. He has served continuously since 1996 on the Board of Directors for Hospice of St. Mary's. He was an active member of Rotary of Lexington Park, MD. His favorite hobbies were admiring, owning and driving Chevrolet Corvettes, and rooting for the New York Yankees.

Ensign Merz and Gail Janice Sweeten were married in Pensacola, FL on April 17, 1964 and had remained partners for life. Along with his wife, their three children survive Captain Merz: Laurie-Lee Merz Mueller (Mark) of Lexington Park, MD; Anne-Marie Merz of California, MD; and Vincent Paul Merz, Jr. (Jacquelyn) of Panama City Beach, FL. He was preceded in death by his father Vincent E. Merz and mother Ruth E. Merz of Oswego, NY, and his brother Vernon R. Merz of Marysville, OH.

All services are private.