Nathan Merritt, lifelong Danville resident, was a loving father and passionate wrestling fan
Nathan Merritt adored his 3-year-old son, Tatum. Both had the same bright red hair, light blue eyes and wide smiles.
"That's my mini," Merritt would say.
Merritt rode out Wednesday night's tornado at Walmart with his son and son's mother.
On the way home around 9:30 p.m., his pickup hit a downed power line and caught fire near the intersection of County Road 75 West and County Road 200 South in Danville, southwest of Brownsburg. He died after he exited the vehicle. He was 27 years old.
His son and his son's mother, who drove separately, were unharmed.
Merritt was a lifelong wrestling fanatic, and he'd just started bringing Tatum to matches. He was introduced to the sport by his own father, who died when Merritt was a young teen.
Merritt spent an ecstatic childhood Christmas running around the house with his new replica WWE briefcase, yelling "I've got the money in the bank! I've got the money in the bank!", his older sister Emily Cummings recalled.
More recently, Merritt was the sound and production director for Danville-based Warrior Pro Wrestling, where he developed relationships with local athletes and sports promoters.
"Our WPW family will miss his smile, excitement, and dedication to not just our show but to independent wrestling across the state," the organization wrote in a Facebook post.
Merritt's mother, Bonnie Halloran, said her son was looking forward to the future. He'd started down a path to a healthier lifestyle, swapping the sugar in his beloved sweet tea for Sweet N'Low, and was focusing on strengthening his family.
"I'm so proud of him," Halloran said.
She was looking forward to seeing how her youngest child would continue to grow. It wasn't so long ago when a preschool-aged Merritt asked to paint a picture of the family dog and instead covered its fur in purple finger paint.
He would have turned 28 next week. His birthday wishes were explicit: a Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, and dinner at Olive Garden, though not necessarily in that order.
Merritt — the family's 'gentle giant' — took pride in cooking delicious breakfast skillets for everyone and loved spending time at the playground with his son. He'd been looking forward to his niece's first Little League game of the season, but it was rained out two days before his death.
Merritt was on the phone with his son's mother as he drove home Wednesday night.
"I can't see anything," he said and then stopped responding, Halloran was told.
Merritt's eyes will have a chance to see again because he was an organ donor. That's a particularly meaningful gift for his mother, who is herself visually impaired.
"I'm so glad somebody's going to get his eyes. He had the most beautiful blue eyes," Halloran said. "God gave him to me for as long as he did. I'm so thankful."
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Danville man who died in storm was a loving father, wrestling fanatic
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