Merlin Glen Cassens died on April 14, 2023 at his home in Hermiston at the age of 71 with wife Jan and son Joey by his side.
He was born on Nov. 2, 1951 in Pendleton, the second child born to Roland D. “Rolly” Cassens and Shirley Lenhart.
Merlin was very proud of his Hermiston heritage. Shirley’s father and uncle had homesteaded Hermiston in 1907, and Rolly and his dad came to Hermiston in 1941. Merlin had three sisters, the eldest Laura and younger twins Carol and Connie, and later the family adopted Tim Cassens.
The family built Rolly’s Roller Rink in 1964 in their horse pasture. Merlin could skate circles around anyone!
Merlin loved horses, so growing up in the Sage Riders, at age 15 he took up relay racing and his favorite, the Pony Express, where he showed off to the delight of the crowd, bouncing from one side to the other down the track at local county fairs and the Pendleton Round-Up. At the age of 16, he rode his horse through Hale’s Tavern, later to learn there was a basement, so it was not such a clever idea! Merlin had no fear and also rode bareback, bulls and saddle broncs in county fairs around the area. He was the youngest Sage Riders president at 23 years old.
Merlin attended Hermiston High School, graduating in 1970. He then joined the Army in 1970 and became an Army medic. Receiving orders to Vietnam, he boarded a plane with his ambulance. On arrival, they were ordered not to deplane, but instead received wounded that they cared for enroute to Ramstein Airbase, Germany. He spent the rest of his tour in Europe. One of his favorite duty stations was being assigned to the USO touring rodeos.
On his return home, he found that Rolly had sold the skating rink, so he bought it back, renaming it Holiday Rollerina, which he owned for 11 years. It was family owned and operated for almost 23 years, on East Main Street. He, along with his 5- and 7-year-old kids, roller skated with 40 other skaters to Pendleton raising money for Muscular Dystrophy (Jerry’s Kids). Skating down Reith Ridge on Interstate 84, Merlin was clocked by a passing motorcycle doing 45 mph, wearing Rocket skates.
In 1972, he went to work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at McNary Dam in resources, then trained to become an iron worker rigger, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.
He met Sandy and they married in 1973, later divorcing. Together they had two children, Joey and Jonnie Sue. Merlin loved teaching them to skate, hunt and fish, and even started Feathers & Fur at the Umatilla County Fair with the kids. The family also had a greenhouse business, as well as a dance studio at one time.
In 1989 he met the love of his life, Jan Rogers-Wilson in Garibaldi. They married later. In their 33 years together, they took on many adventures: first man/woman walleye tournament team on the Columbia River; teaching her to hunt; joining the American Red Cross; and then on his retirement, joining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Rehired Annuitant Program, where they did 21 deployments between the two groups, sometimes three weeks, sometimes three months.
Merlin was a charter member of the Irrigon Moose Lodge, helping to start the lodge in 1997. He held many different offices and chairs in the lodge, district, Moose Legion and OMA board. In June 2018, he was honored to receive the highest degree as a Pilgrim in the House of God in Mooseheart, Ill.
He will be missed by everyone who knew him!
Merlin is survived by his wife, Jan Cassens of Hermiston; children, Joey (Sarah) Cassens and Jonnie Sue Cassens; stepchildren, Lynn Geistweidt and Russell (Suzanne) Wilson; sisters, Laura (Karl) Baxter, Carol (George) Wells and Connie (Bill) Ford; Tim Cassens; grandchildren, Gaige Cassens, Tyler Geistweidt and Macey Geistweidt; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
No funeral service will be held.
A local celebration of life service will be planned for a later date. We will also hold another celebration of life in Portland honoring his Moose Pilgrim degree later.
Please share memories of Merlin with his family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
