MERRILL, ISSA SAKAKI co-founder of the Cibola High School Student Citizens' Organization (CHSSCO) and an advocate for Albuquerque Sister Cities projects, died after a prolonged illness on Saturday, February 23rd. He was 32. Stricken in his teens by Batten's Disease, a progressive neurological disorder, Issa nevertheless graduated from high school and went on to study political science at the University of New Mexico. Though he was unable to continue past his junior year due to vision and mobility problems, he maintained an avid interest in politics through friends such as Art Schreiber and Fred Harris. The son of a leading Japanese contemporary poet, Nanao Sakaki and Corrales poet and author, Carol Merrill, Issa was named for the 18th century poet Kobayashi Issa. Issa was born in Albuquerque, lived in Taos for a year, and then became an unofficial "baby ambassador" to China while his mother taught English in Qu Fu, Shandong, China. After returning, he lived in Corrales and attended Corrales Elementary, Enchanted Hills Middle School and Cibola High. During the second half of his life, Issa faced his ordeals with laughter and continued enthusiasm for progressive causes - and the St. Louis Cardinals. He loved music, dogs, fishing, wildlife rescue and the N.M. Museum of Natural History and Science where he was a volunteer junior docent. Memorial contributions are encouraged to the Issa Sakaki Merrill Scholarship Fund as tax deductible donations through the UNM Foundation, 700 Lomas NE, 2 Woodward Center, Albuquerque, NM 87102-5227. The scholarship will be awarded to a student in political science or peace studies. He is survived by his mother; cousin Amanda Merrill; half-sister Maggie Tai Sakaki Tucker; nieces Emi and Suzette Gwertzman; nephew Robert Tucker Gwertzman; and half-brothers Yui and Mizu Sakaki Araki. The family expresses their deep gratitude for years of loving care from the staff of ARCA and the Albuquerque Friends Meeting (Quaker) for sustained support during his long illness. A memorial service at the Quaker meeting house, 1600 Fifth St. NW will be held in March. A pizza party celebrating his life is planned at Corrales Village Pizza, to be announced on his Facebook page.
MERRILL, ISSA SAKAKI co-founder of the Cibola High School Student Citizens' Organization (CHSSCO) and an advocate for Albuquerque Sister Cities projects, died after a prolonged illness on Saturday, February 23rd. He was 32. Stricken in his teens by Batten's Disease, a progressive neurological disorder, Issa nevertheless graduated from high school and went on to study political science at the University of New Mexico. Though he was unable to continue past his junior year due to vision and mobility problems, he maintained an avid interest in politics through friends such as Art Schreiber and Fred Harris. The son of a leading Japanese contemporary poet, Nanao Sakaki and Corrales poet and author, Carol Merrill, Issa was named for the 18th century poet Kobayashi Issa. Issa was born in Albuquerque, lived in Taos for a year, and then became an unofficial "baby ambassador" to China while his mother taught English in Qu Fu, Shandong, China. After returning, he lived in Corrales and attended Corrales Elementary, Enchanted Hills Middle School and Cibola High. During the second half of his life, Issa faced his ordeals with laughter and continued enthusiasm for progressive causes - and the St. Louis Cardinals. He loved music, dogs, fishing, wildlife rescue and the N.M. Museum of Natural History and Science where he was a volunteer junior docent. Memorial contributions are encouraged to the Issa Sakaki Merrill Scholarship Fund as tax deductible donations through the UNM Foundation, 700 Lomas NE, 2 Woodward Center, Albuquerque, NM 87102-5227. The scholarship will be awarded to a student in political science or peace studies. He is survived by his mother; cousin Amanda Merrill; half-sister Maggie Tai Sakaki Tucker; nieces Emi and Suzette Gwertzman; nephew Robert Tucker Gwertzman; and half-brothers Yui and Mizu Sakaki Araki. The family expresses their deep gratitude for years of loving care from the staff of ARCA and the Albuquerque Friends Meeting (Quaker) for sustained support during his long illness. A memorial service at the Quaker meeting house, 1600 Fifth St. NW will be held in March. A pizza party celebrating his life is planned at Corrales Village Pizza, to be announced on his Facebook page.