Edward Harrison Obituary

Merle was born in Durango, CO to Henrietta and Claude Harrison on May 4, 1933 and died at his home in Durango on September 8, 2025 at age 92. He attended Bayfield schools and went on to Old Fort Lewis and then BYU where he obtained a B.S. in chemistry. During summers while in college, he worked on a survey crew in the far outback of Alaska, a job that resulted in many good stories. He attended graduate school at CSU and earned a PhD in biochemistry. He next moved to Beirut, Lebanon and spent four years teaching biochemistry in the medical school at the American University of Beirut. He traveled widely in the Middle East and Europe during his time there and treasured the experience. Upon his return to the US Merle ran a research lab for the Dept. of Agriculture at CSU until foreign adventure beckoned again and he became a Fullbright professor at a medical school in Jhalabad, Afghanistan. At the end of that assignment, he returned home to Durango and spent the rest of his career teaching Chemistry at Fort Lewis College. Merle reveled in his retirement; he loved exploring the redrock country of Utah, and he became an avid cyclist. Two of his proudest achievements late in life were biking the Durango-Silverton-Durango century with his wife, Lynn, on their beloved tandem bike (and, yes, they were still speaking to each other at the end) and riding the White Rim trail in Utah for the last time at age 84. He is survived by Lynn Coburn, his wife of almost 50 years and numerous cousins and friends. At his request, there will be no services.