Community far richer due to Mert

More than half of Churchill County’s population either wasn’t born or lived elsewhere when Merton Domonoske served as councilman or mayor of Fallon.

Mr. Domonoske, who died on July 16, was remembered at his memorial service last week as a tireless community and business leader who served Fallon well. He began his political career as a councilman and then served as mayor from the early 1970s through 1987. Additionally, Mr. Domonoske emerged as a leading businessman in our community, one who believed in his “adopted” city of Fallon and how it became a central hub for other communities.

The likes of Mr. Domonoske are fading away. A World War II and Korean War veteran, a college-educated man, a civic leader and businessman, a husband, a family man … Mr. Domonoske embodied the working soul with dignity and passion.

After his election for mayor in the mid-1990s, Ken Tedford said Mr. Domonoske was a good mentor, offering what he called “pieces of advice.”

With Mr. Domonoske’s passing, those who knew him often said he took others under his wing, nurtured them and also offered advice. The Lahontan Valley News also received his words of wisdom, whether it came from a guest opinion column, a letter to the editor, a private note to the editor or an email commenting on a story.

During 2014, Mr. Domonoske commented on several events, one that was nearing and the other that had been printed.

Prior to Veterans Day last year, Mr. Domonoske wrote some thoughts that we used in a story:

“November 11th will be here soon and to me this holiday has always been Armistice Day where on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the Allies and Germany met in Marshall Foch’s railway car at Compiègne, France, and terminated WWI. More than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died because of the war, ‘The War to End-All Wars,’ according to President Wilson.”

Earlier in 2014 during our Nevada sesquicentennial series, the LVN printed a story about the blizzard of 1948-1949, one of the snowiest winters in Nevada history. Mr. Domonoske, who was in the National Guard at the time, remembered it well as he volunteered to help farmers and ranchers load and drop hay bales out of C-82s, “The Flying Boxcars”:

“After dropping all our hay we flew over mines, line-camps and cabins dropping sacks of food. Got a lot of waves as they were short of rations. The hay lift was a success and ran smoothly.”

Mr. Domonoske — a member of “The Greatest Generation” — served our city, state and country in many ways. A man of such character will be missed, yet for those who knew him will be forever grateful for the knowledge he imparted to us.

LVN Editorials appear on Wednesdays.