MERVIS, Isadore - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Isadore Mervis, former chairman of the board of the Danville, Ill Housing Authority (DHA) and a leading Danville businessman died Jan 5 at Lake View Memorial Hospital in Danville where he had been a patient since Dec 13.  He had been in ill health 18 months. Mr. Mervis, 65, retired from the DHA board of commissioners in Sept 1970 after 15 years of service – 13 of which were as board chairman.  Mr. Mervis was president of Mervis Iron & Metal Co. Inc and Merlan Inc a construction firm, and vice president of Danville Steel Warehouse Inc. Born April 18, 1906 in Veedersburg, Ind he was a son of William and Fannie London Mervis. He attended schools in Kankakee, Arcola and Veedersburg before going into the scrap iron business with his father in Veedersburg in 1921. Mr. Mervis started his own scrap business in 1933 at 218 E. South and then expanded in 1935 to the present location of Mervis Iron & Metal at 329 E Harrison.  He was director of the Illinois Chapter of Iron & Steel Institute and past director of the Citizens Savings & Loan Association of Hoopeston.  He received a distinguished service award from the Federal government for his efforts in collecting metal during WWII.  A member of the Society of Fellows of the Anti-Defamation League, he was local chairman of United Jewish Appeal in 1949. He was president of Congregation Israel in Danville for 15 years and founder of the Hillel Foundation at the University of Illinois at Champaign. Mr. Mervis was a member of Rotary International, B’nai B-rith, Olive Branch Lodge 38 AF&AM, Foundry Education Foundation, Danville Country Club, Elks Lodge 332 and past member of the executive board of the Family Service Bureau. He married the former Martha Friedman of Danville in Chicago on Aug 25, 1929. She survives. Other survivors include two daughters, Mrs. Martin (Selma) Young of Hoopeston and Mrs. Alan (Jacqueline) Mack of Cincinnati; a son, Louis L. of Danville; four brothers, Herman, Frank, David and Sam all of Kokomo, Ind and 9 grandchildren. Memorials have been established in Mr. Mervis’ name with Congregation Israel and American Cancer Society. - kbz