Merlin Lee Lidstone
What do you remember about Merlin? Share your stories and photos here, and invite others to come share their memories.
Bathed in the light of sunset pouring through his window, Merlin Lee "Merle" Lidstone threw one last strand of Mardi Gras beads, took one final breath of salty island air and soared away to reunite with family and friends who have been waiting for him for a very long time.
Merle was born on a sweltering Sunday, July 18, 1926, in Galveston to parents William "Willie" and Cecelia Stanton Lidstone. The Lidstones immigrated to the U.S. from Devonshire, England in 1849, and Merle's branch of the family remains here still. Third in a family of six children, Merle was born three years before The Great Depression. Despite enormous financial challenges, Willie and Cecelia raised a tribe of hard-working, self-sufficient and fun-loving, some might say colorful, children and grandchildren.
Young Merle attended St. Patrick's Elementary School and then Sam Houston Junior High School before leaving school altogether to go to work, with only an 8th grade education. He soon found his craft in welding and pipe fitting, and he worked in Galveston's marine and port industry for nearly 50 years. He earned the nickname "Squirrely" down on the docks for his speed and agility in scampering all over ships, which also made for his unique dance moves at too many parties to count.
Family was everything to Merle, from his three brothers and two sisters and that ever-growing clan of nieces and nephews down to his own nuclear family of a wife and three children. Rarely a week went by when some or all of The Lidstones weren't together seining on East Beach, barbecuing in the backyard, going to a Ball High Tor or Central Bearcat football game or just sitting evenings on the Seawall at 17th Street, always with a full cooler for whomever might come along.
Merle loved people, any and all people, and our mom routinely reminded him that he was not, in fact, the mayor of Galveston though he certainly behaved like it! This salty, old island meant everything to him. His childhood stories about playing stickball at Menard Park, skating at the Tokyo roller rink, watching live fights at the City Auditorium and watching movie stars traipse in and out of the Balinese Room were priceless. He had a special penchant for mischief and adventure all his life.
Merle had a life force that God affords only a few. Gentle, cheerful and always helpful, he was happy deep in his soul. He was a flawed and imperfect man who rarely complained and never fell victim to the hardships in his life. Strong and peaceful, Merle's mantra for living was "You gotta roll with the punches," a phrase that annoyed his children when they were whining about one thing or another.
Merle's lifelong fascination with Mardi Gras in Galveston was shaped in his childhood, when his mother bundled up all six kids and took them downtown to catch beads in front of St. Mary's Cathedral. It was only natural that when the Lenten celebration was resurrected on the island in the 1980s, Merle co-founded the second oldest krewe in Galveston, the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius. He was crowned King of Aquarius in 1990 and, for four decades, he helped design and build floats that he proudly rode on and tossed beads to throngs of people in the streets. In 2015, he received the prestigious George Mitchell Mardi Gras Award for his contributions not only to the annual celebration but also to the island's economy.
In his final weeks, Merle had many beef enchiladas, napped in the cool breeze down on the sand, attended Ball High's winning and exciting season opener and enjoyed a front row seat watching the USS Battleship Texas come into port, while eating cold boiled shrimp and enjoying a cold one.
Galveston Island is a bit dimmer now because of Merle's passing, but he has left his children and grandchildren, his nieces and nephews, his neighbors and his friends invaluable lessons for living life and finding happiness wherever and whenever you can. All we ever have to do is think of him.
He will be cherished by his son, Johnny Lidstone, granddaughter Desiree Lidstone and husband Jason Hayes, great granddaughter Monica Gros and her husband Jesus Terrazas, and Johnny's partner Kevin Ketchen.
Merle will be forever missed by his daughter, Sheila Lidstone and her husband and Merle's wonderful pal, Chris Webber; grandson Austin Lidstone Webber and wife, Megan Svach; granddaughter Sally Faith Lidstone Webber and husband Adam Wade; and son-in-law Tom Conrad. Merle had hoped to hold Krystof, being born to Austin and Megan in three weeks, but our baby will know his Great Papa by way of all the stories we will surely carry forward with us.
Merle will also be missed by his sister-in-law Frances Bertolino Lidstone and her five children, Chuck, David, Phyllis, Michael and Rena as well as his Mancuso nieces and nephews, especially Carolyn.
Merle is preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Geneva Sims Lidstone; his daughter, Sharon Lee Lidstone Conrad; his brothers Bill, Earl Dean and Charlie Lidstone, and his sisters Doris Franks and Valerie "Momadoll" Mancuso. The loss of so many beloved family, devoted friends and the richness of a full life was a source of significant hardship for Merle in his later years.
Pallbearers will be: nephews Chuck, David and Michael Lidstone, and Merle's friends Raymond "Mugs" Rhew, Ron Dyda and Skippy Schaper. Honorary pallbearers will be Jonathan Hale, John Gonzales and members of the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius. The family offers special thanks to the wonderful staffs of Village Hospice, especially Walter Manuel, Jr., The Meridien Beach House in Galveston and Serenity Gardens in Dickinson.
Services to celebrate Merle's life will be held on Saturday, September 17 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with visitation from 9 to 10 a.m. followed by Catholic mass at 10 a.m. Merle will be interred at Calvary Cemetery at a later time.