Dylan Douglas Merritt

Dylan Douglas Merritt was born on July 6, 2004, in Rexburg, ID. He was a
bright light for many in his short time before the Lord called him home in the darkness of early morning on Nov. 4, 2022,
Burley, ID.
Dylan had many interests and developed several talents in his life. He enjoyed
art, particularly sketching out animals or trying his hand at saddle tooling. He loved to gift his artwork and they are treasured
masterpieces in his absence.

Growing up, Dylan spent a lot of time with his grandma
Tammy and attended many rodeo queen contests. He
learned how to be a gentleman and how to swing dance.
He loved to teach people and show off his moves, especially when he realized how
much it helped him get some extra feminine attention.
He learned at a very young age how to rope and ride and worked with his dad
at cow camp in Arco when he was just nine years old. He enjoyed learning new loops and had some pretty handy
tricks. He beamed brightest when he could learn a loop better than his dad or when he
could finish at a roping just a little higher in the standings. One of his biggest goals
was to win Top Hand and he was often only short a few points from taking the
prize.
Besides ranch roping, Dylan also enjoyed team roping. He could handle his
own on either end, but truly enjoyed being on the heel side the best. He started minibull riding in elementary and to his dad’s
dismay and his mom’s delight, continued
to pursue ranch broncs and saddle bronc
riding through high school.
He made many memories with his family and friends running down the rodeo
trail. Every summer, he looked forward to a week in Wells, NV, at the rodeo Bible
camp where he was able to grow his talents and his relationship with God. He enjoyed chasing brandings in the spring with
his family and helping on his grandma and grandpa Anderson’s farm when he could.
While Dylan was a Cowboy by natural design, his true passion was being in the
mountains, fishing or hunting. He looked forward to October 10 almost more than
December 25. He was able to harvest a deer alongside his dad and grandpa Mark
for his final season. He enjoyed archery hunting as well, particularly for elk, and
bird hunting with a good dog and good friends. He was always on the lookout for
antlers, and proudly displayed his collection of sheds whenever the chance arose.
Dylan enjoyed FFA and excelled in showing beef at the county fair and welding. He was the first student at Rockland
High School to graduate with his four year welding technician certificate. He was
passionate about basketball and was a key part of helping the Bulldogs earn their first
boys 1A-D2 state championship title in 2022.
Dylan attended Rigby schools through the seventh grade before moving to
Rockland where he graduated in May. He went right to
work for the Matthews family in Oakley, ID, as a cowboy working in the feedlot and
building miles of fence. He loved to play with his baby sister and looked forward to
teaching her his rope tricks
and imagining the adventures they had in store. He met his love, Timotea Haney,
through high school rodeo friends and looked forward
to any opportunity to be with her when the work was through.
We remember Dylan for his infectious smile and laughter, his sass, the way he
encouraged everyone to succeed, and his ability to make everyone feel loved.
Dylan is survived by his girlfriend Timotea Haney (Gooding), parents Nick
and Carolyn Merritt (Rockland), sisters Macklyn Merritt, Kaitlyn (Colton) Beasley, Montpelier, McKinlay (Devon) Quilici, Mudlake, and brother Colton (Molly) Smith, Terreton; grandparents Tammy
Golder (Basalt), Mark Merritt (Shelley), Monty and Bonnie Anderson (Rockland),
great-grandma Tena Bates (Basalt), and numerous are invited to participate in a
casket branding following formal services on Saturday in Rockland, so please bring
an iron, fire or electric. Following the branding, wagon teams will take Dylan
aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews, friends and family on a final ride with
those in attendance. Riders and horses are welcome or attendees may follow in personal vehicles. All are invited back to the
gymnasium for a luncheon where all are invited to share memories.
There was a visitation from 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 11, at Davis-Rose Mortuary,
170 Idaho Street, American Falls, ID.
There was a second visitation from 10 to
10:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Rockland School gymnasium, 321 East Center,
Rockland, ID 83271. The funeral started at 11 a.m. To order flowers, or to share condolences, memories, and photos, please
visit DavisRoseMortuary.com.