Merrill M. "Pete" Webb

Merrill M. “Pete” Webb Jr., 83, of The Villages, Fla., formerly of Altoona, entered into eternal rest Saturday, August 21, 2021.

Pete was born on December 31, 1937, in Altoona, a son of the late Merrill Melvin Webb Sr. and Dorothy L. (Stange) Webb. He was the beloved husband of Peggy L. of 62 years; a father; grandfather; and great-grandfather. 

Pete was preceded in death by a sister, Virginia E. Haghighat of Westminster, Md. 

He married Peggy L. (McCoy) Webb on July 24, 1959, in Altoona, and has two children, M. Richard “Rick” Webb and his wife, Niai (Sharer) Webb and Wendy (Webb) Thomas and her husband, Michael Thomas. Also surviving are three grandchildren: Joshua Webb, Ryan Thomas and Laura David and her husband, Allan; a great-grandson, A.J. David; a new great-grandchild, Chloe Rose. Peggy has two surviving siblings: a younger sister, Patricia (McCoy) Rauch and family and an older brother, James McCoy and family. 

He was a 1955 graduate of Altoona High School. Pete also attended Penn State University and achieved his degree in Electrical Engineering Technology in 1959. He was a member of Saint James Lutheran Church in Altoona for many decades and more recently a member of Hope Lutheran in The Villages, Fla.   

Pete was a retiree of Westvaco Corp. in Tyrone, as the Maintenance and Engineering Superintendent for more than 40 years. Prior to that, after college, he worked as an Engineering Draftsman for the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. Pete also had a successful part-time electrical contracting business, as he was known for always working to improve life for his family. Pete always believed that there is no limit to what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit. 

He was a member of the Jaffa Shrine and Masonic Lodge in Altoona and served excellently as Potentate in the year 2000. Pete has a long career of volunteerism with service in his Masonic affiliations for well over 50 years. He was a member of Logan Lodge No. 490 since 1960 and the Jaffa Shrine since 1977. Pete also served on the board at the Shriner’s Erie Hospital for many years. He was also a member of the Royal Order of the Jesters, the Jaffa Cycle Corps and the Order of Quetzalcoatl.   

Pete always enjoyed spending time with family and many friends, and especially enjoyed entertaining with lots of traveling, including the many cruises they organized and enjoyed over many decades. Pete was an avid golfer in The Villages and in the Altoona area as a member at Park Hills, Sinking Valley and Scotch Valley country clubs.  He was also an avid bowler and played in several leagues in Pennsylvania and Florida. Pete and the entire family (many of which are PSU alumni) are devoted Penn State fans and have enjoyed tailgating and parties for many years. Pete was an avid Steelers fan as well. 

Memorial services will be held in the fall in Altoona, Pa. and The Villages, Fla. Arrangements are by Myers-Somers Funeral Home Inc., 501 Sixth Ave., Altoona. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children, care of the Jaffa Shrine, P.O. Box 1984, Altoona, PA 16603-1984. 

A gathering of family and friends will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. when a Masonic funeral service will be held for Pete. Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday October 10, 2021 at Myers-Somers Funeral Home, Inc., 501 Sixth Avenue, Altoona, Rev. Rebecca Holland officiating. A live stream will be available through Facebook Live. Please copy and paste the link below to a web browser to be redirected to the services.

https://fb.me/e/3Us7gjAV3

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