Frederick Eugene "Gene" Merson, 63, of Leesburg, VA, formerly of St. Mary's County, MD died November 26, 2010 at Cornwall Hospital in Leesburg, VA. Born October 25, 1947 in Leonardtown, MD, he was the son of the late Joseph Lewis and Claudia (Guy) Yates.

Mr. Merson was the loving husband of Dana (Martin) Merson whom he married on September 16, 1995 in Occoquan, VA.

Mr. Merson is also survived by his children; Duane Merson of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Gina Merson of Leesburg, VA, Melissa M. Merson of White Plains, MD and Derek Merson of Waldorf, MD, as well as three grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews. He is survived by his siblings; Robert "Frankie" Merson, Dale Yates, Lewis Yates, and Jennifer Yates all of Clements, MD.

Mr. Merson was preceded in death by his sister Claudia Lynn Burroughs. He graduated from Chopticon High School before joining the Army, serving in Vietnam where he honorably served as a Green Beret and appointed to the Airborne Special Forces Division. He was extremely proud to have fought for our country. Subsequent to his military tenure, for approximately forty years, Mr. Merson was highly successful in the field of secure defense telecommunications, federal contracting and procurement practices, and biometric identity management. Mr. Merson was extremely well respected in his field. His most recent position was Director of Federal Sales for Endace Network Systems Inc., in Chantilly, Virginia. Other employer included Nortel Networks, Timeplex Federal Systems, Codex and Motorola.

His passion outside of work was boating, which is how he met his surviving wife Dana, and held a U.S. Coast Guard Captains license.

The family will receive friends from 4:00-5:00 PM, Monday, December 6, 2010 in the Mattingley- Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, MD, where a memorial service will be held at 5:00 PM with Fr. Keith Woods officiating. For friends and business colleagues in the Northern Virginia area, the family will also be holding and additional memorial service in early January, with more details to follow.

In lieu of flowers Gene would appreciate contributions to the Veterans Administration, 810 Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20011, or the Leonardtown Vol. Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 299, Leonardtown, MD 20650.

Arrangements provided by the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.