“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.” Meet Merrill Cassell
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- November
- 9
I cannot stop thinking about a man I didn’t know, Merrill Cassell who died Friday afternoon while riding one of his beloved bicycles. I know this only from reading his web blog, The Merrill Pages. Here you will find many articles he wrote and photos from cycling trips.
Cassell’s Mission statement: To live life with enthusiasm, honesty, passion and a positive attitude by making written contributions to the world, friends and UN community on management, HR and public policy issues. To challenge policy that has made the world a difficult place by tracing their mistakes and making proposals for betterment. By learning from past mistakes to reexamine and realign life and ideology, challenge all forms of bureaucracy and take on new ideas for intellectual stimulation. To divide life between work and play as living a life without fun is unfulfilling.
Cassell lived life to the fullest and helped hundreds of thousands of people to live life at all through his work with the United Nations. In the 1960’s he worked for an engineering company in Sri Lanka where he set up Learn to Swim campaigns there. Over 20,000 rural village children were taught how to swim. For this the Sri Lanka Association of New York awarded him a lifetime achievement award. He then joined the UN as an accountant in a number of capacities, ending in 1997 when he was Budget Director of UNICEF.
One of the reason I have keep looking for information about Merrill Cassell was this comment posted to one of the stories about his death.
“66 YEARS OLD AND STILL FOOLING AROUND WITH A BICYCLE!!!??? THIS JERK NEVER GREW UP, AND NOW HE NEVER WILL!!! GOOD RIDDANCE!!! ONE LESS PEST ON THE ROAD!!! AND 2 THINGS: I HOPE THAT THE BUS IS OK, AND BAN BICYCLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I cannot understand how anyone could feel this way. Merrill Cassell deserves better. He was an active member of the Westchester Putnam Biking and Walking Alliance and a person who made a difference in this world. Take a minute and look at his website and get to know him, so we do not forget him. If you knew him please contact me. rkwolf@lohud.com
This quote is written just below his mission statement on his website.
“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.”JOAN BAEZ
This entry was posted
on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:21 PM by Randall Wolf. 
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I am totally shocked. I saw this story break on NEWS12 friday evening and thought ‘I wonder if I know the person who was killed’. No name was mentioned. I figured it was probably some terribly unlucky soul I didn’t know anyway never giving it another thought over the busy weekend. Today at work I was told that a long time retired colleague died over the weekend in an accident. I said Oh no that’s terrible, what happened? Then I was told he was hit by a bus. Again I said Oh no, that’s awful, where was this? I was told it happened near his home while riding his bicycle and I thought , wait, he lived in Westchester, oh my God, that was him !!! I saw the story on the local news never imagining it could be someone I once worked with and knew for so many years. Merrill was such a kind and gentle soul. A small man with enormous energy and wisdom. He took me for lunch one day when I first started working for UNICEF. He was so gracious. He didn’t have to take me for lunch, but it was a kind of “joke” that he won at a holiday party and he kept his word. I told him it wasn’t necessary but he insisted. We had a very nice time and from then we were good friends. He lived in the neighborhood where I grew up so we had that in common. I always admired him for his knowledge and goodness. It is such a shame that this lovely man had to die so tragically. So many people here at the U.N. are very shocked and upset. He was truly a hero. He will never be forgotten. May he rest in eternal peace. SHANTI Merrill.
Poor guy. I am so sorry for his family. They lost a father, husband, brother, uncle and friend. How can anyone be so cruel as to write something so thoughtless. I hope no one in his family is ever hit by a bus. Until that day he will never know the profoundness of this tragedy and loss of life. It is truly unforgiving. I hope the GPD finds out what really happened and who was at fault. I am sure it wasn’t this poor innocent man.