Merritt “Buz” Ketcham passed away on May 6, 2026, from heart related issues.
He lived a life defined by courage, service, curiosity, and an unwavering determination to make the world better than he found it.
He spent most of his adult life in Longview, WA, employed by Longview Fibre and in public service as a PUD Commissioner.
Buz often quoted his father’s advice, “The world is run by those who show up.” Buz took those words to heart. Whether for his family, his community, those in need, or the challenges life placed before him, he showed up—again and again.
In his twenties, Buz was diagnosed with genetic heart disease, beginning a lifelong battle that would test his strength, intellect, and resolve. He eventually was blessed to receive a heart transplant in 2008 which gave him an additional 18 years of life, enabling him to walk his daughter down the aisle and spend ten cherished years in retirement in North Carolina.
Buz dedicated his life to serving others. He participated in food drives, taught science classes in retirement, and built handcrafted bed frames—complete with mattresses and sheets—for foster children who had no furniture of their own. As a proud member of Rotary International and through countless acts of service, Buz lived by the belief that communities are strongest when people care for one another.
Buz also knew how to live fully. He loved the water, his boat, and the many years he and his wife, Wanda, spent cruising the Puget Sound together and his early boating years with his daughter Tennyson in Friday Harbor.
Buz is survived by his loving wife, Wanda; his daughter Tennyson, stepchildren Shane and Mandy Driscoll, and grandchildren Adrian Driscoll, Elijah Hayter and Olyvia Hater.
Those who knew Buz will remember his generosity, humor, intelligence, adventurous spirit, and his steadfast belief that life is meant to be lived fully and in service to others.
A Celebration of Life for Buz is being planned for early June.
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