Dr. David Lawrence "Larry" Merricks

Dr. David Lawrence Merricks “Larry” was President and Microbiologist of Agrisearch, where he performed critical testing for the EPA and advanced environmental science with precision and integrity. His mind was endlessly inquisitive, and he approached every challenge with discipline and enthusiasm.

Larry’s passions were as expansive as the landscapes he explored. He across Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Maryland in pursuit of deer, elk, buffalo, antelope, and bear. He was a dedicated rockhound, collecting fossils and minerals and forging jewelry from his discoveries. He savored fine wine, loved music and concerts, and raced GTI cars along the Atlantic Coast — once holding the record at Summit Point where he raced against Walter Payton and Paul Newman. He traced his lineage back to Rollo and Charlemagne, proudly sharing his Viking heritage with family. His travels took him to the Shetland Islands, Scotland, Norway, Baja California, Peru, Machu Picchu, the Galápagos Islands, and Alaska, many through Lindblad Expeditions.

Together, Larry and Donna built a life that was both an adventure and a collaboration. Their travels carried them across continents — deserts, mountains, coastlines, and ancient places — always side by side, always discovering something new. Donna designed furniture, and Larry brought her visions into being through his love of woodworking, each piece a quiet conversation between her imagination and his hands. They searched the earth for fossils and minerals, rock hounding with shared excitement and expertise. Back home, they crafted jewelry together from the stones and fossils they found, filling their home with creations that blended their talents, their travels, and their deep devotion to one another. Their home became a gallery of their life: art, craft, and memory woven together.

Larry and Donna were preceded in death by their beloved daughter, Amy Garnette Merricks, who left us too soon in 2009 at age 32. Amy pursued science and art throughout her life, working at Agrisearch during high school and college. She graduated from Linganore High School with honors and earned double majors in Biochemistry and Ancient Studies from UMBC. She interned at the Smithsonian Institution, analyzing ancient artifacts, and was studying for her PhD at Johns Hopkins University in Geology and Crystallography at the time of her passing. She was a gifted artist, winning multiple awards for drawing, painting, and silversmithing, and she believed deeply in the betterment of humanity through science.

Larry was also preceded in death by his mother Marie Garnette Farrar Merricks, his father Newton Henry Merricks, and his sister Mary Garnette Merricks.

Larry his daughter Lisa Leisinger, son in law Rhett Leisinger, and granddaughters Nicole Leisinger (Doug Reed) and Janet Leisinger (James King). They are also remembered with love by dear friends Ed and Cathy Scott, Paul Shanholtz, Gary Browning, and Ai Feng “Sam”, Larry’s “brother from another mother”, along with many friends and neighbors.

Together, Larry, Donna, and Amy formed a family defined by intellect, creativity, adventure, and devotion. Their legacy lives on in the knowledge they shared, the beauty they created, and the love they gave so freely — a love that continues to echo in the lives of those who knew them.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family, where their stories and memories will be cherished in the quiet company of those closest to them. Family & Friends are invited to share messages of remembrance and to honor their legacy or through a donation in their name to a charity meaningful to them.