William Moorer Merrill

Born in Shawnee, OK, in 1937, William Moorer Merrill was destined to do great things. After all, his high school art teacher had encouraged him to “trust his eye for aesthetics.” 

Will attended The University of Oklahoma where he studied interior design and pledged Kappa Sigma, quite a prestigious fraternity at the time. During his last year of college, while working at a furniture store, he was asked to do a window display. Everything in the window sold out, and from then Will became a legend in the making. 

Graduating from OU with a B.S. in interior design and as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force, he received orders to report to Loring Air Force base in Northeastern Maine, where he was made a Base Housing Officer responsible for 1,669 houses, a job previously held by a Major. He later became a Missile Control Officer stationed in England. During his time off, he would travel to places like Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, and Greece; each trip reinforcing and refining his love of design and history for later use. 

Will always managed to be in the right place at the right time; some examples are being feet away from the Queen of England during an event, and attending Edith Piaf's last concert before her death.

When his time in the Air Force came to an end, Will was in England, and for the first time in his life was on his own to do whatever he chose. So, his first adventure was to Giudecca Island, Venice, where he planned to visit the Fortuny fabrics factory he had read about. Not only did he visit the factory, but he met the Countess of Gozzi herself, spending an entire afternoon with her hearing about the fabrics and inspiration for her designs, touring the gardens and— oh yes— there were martinis on her private balcony overlooking the property. For many years after he received Christmas cards from the Countess, seeing her several other times when he lived in New York.

During his wonder lusting travels, eventually Will ended up in Egypt. Looking back, he claims this to be one of his greatest experiences of his life. He ended up on an archeological expedition in the Sudan working as the expedition's drafter, drawing the site and the artifacts as they were discovered. When the expedition ended, he continued his own travels, finally having to decide when and how he was going to make his way back to the States.

Set on having a job in New York before returning to Oklahoma, Will got a job with Lord and Taylor as Rug buyer and quickly worked his way up, over all of the furniture buying for Lord and Taylor. He spent 12 years in New York, fortunate to call Gramercy Park and Beekman Place home during those years, again because of being in the right places at the right time. 

Will's time at Lord and Taylor came to a close when Hickory Chair approached him to be its Executive of Design. He moved to Hickory, NC, remaining in this role for over 20 years, guiding the company in a new, fresh and forward-thinking approach. Will designed pieces of his own, even helping some prominent designers in the industry get their start by partnering with them to develop collections with Hickory Chair. 

In 2000 Will retired to Blowing Rock, NC, and immersed himself into the community and his church, St. Mary of the Hills. During his retirement, two of the homes he designed were published in House Beautiful Magazine— the same magazine he would look at as a kid while waiting in the grocery store line for his turn to show his abilities.

In 2005 Will met Andy Sicard and in 2015 they were married in their beloved church, St. Mary of the Hills, and have lived a wonderful life together. Will's brother Mike Merrill still resides in Shawnee, OK. Will will be missed by many, but his legacy in the furniture world will never be forgotten nor will the impact he has made in so many people’s lives.

A Memorial Service will be held on July 11th, 2026 at 11am at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock NC.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the flower guild at St. Mary of the Hills in Will's memory, PO Box 14, Blowing Rock, NC 28605.  

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