MERRILL – The city will begin revealing the first of its honorary street names on Memorial Day as part of a program that began last year to remember and honor residents of Merrill who left an indelible mark on the city.
In total, 11 people will be recognized in the first unveiling.
If you live on a street involved, nothing about your address will change. These names are honorary; the signs are distinctly colored and lettered to show this. The post office will not recognize it as an official name change.
The first sign will be dedicated at 9:30 a.m. at the corner of North Prospect and Merrill Street, or next to 201 N. Prospect St. That block of Prospect Street will be named in honor of Sgt. Grant Dampier, who was mortally wounded in the line of duty while serving our country overseas as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
At 10 a.m., a second sign will be unveiled at the corner of East Main Street and Sales Street, or in front of 2000 E. Main St., to honor Sgt. Ryan Jopek. Jopek, who was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, was killed in action in 2006 while serving overseas as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Dampier and Jopek families have arranged to attend both events in person. At the conclusion of the Jopek unveiling, the families will travel to the Veterans Memorial at St. Francis Cemetery for the annual Memorial Day program.
A third sign honoring Lt. Robert Russell, who is the only serviceman from the city of Merrill who is missing in action from World War II, will be unveiled in November when his family is able to attend.
Other signs will be revealed in the coming weeks based on family availability.
The Historic Preservation Committee will take applications for future potential streets to be added.
