Merlin Call died Jan 6, 2026 in Santa Barbara, CA.
Born Nov 25, 1931 in Long Beach, CA to Harry Truman Call and Bernice Johnson Call, Merlin Wendell Call moved with his parents to Pasadena, CA. Brothers Melvin Kendell and Marvin Denzell arrived within a few years.
During Merlin’s 90 years as a Pasadena resident, he attended Madison and Jefferson Elementary Schools, Marshall Junior High School and Pasadena City College, from which he graduated as valedictorian. He attended Stanford University and Law School, earning his LL.B. degree. He served in the Army JAG Corps as a First Lieutenant during the Korean War, then became a partner at Tuttle and Taylor Law Firm in downtown Los Angeles. Practicing corporate law, probate and estate planning, he remained at T&T until 2000, before opening a solo law practice in Pasadena until his retirement in 2020.
In 1956, he married Kathryn Gage; son Christopher Douglas and daughter Lori Lynne arrived within three years. Though the marriage ended in divorce in 1980, they remained good friends until Kathy’s death in 2022. Merlin moved to Goleta in 2023 and Santa Barbara in 2025.
Throughout his life, Merlin was an active member of Lake Avenue Congregational Church (Pasadena), Pasadena Covenant Church, and later Community Covenant Church of Goleta. He also served on the boards of many parachurch organizations including Mission Aviation Fellowship, Far East Broadcasting Company, Westmont College (Montecito) and Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena).
Merlin is survived by son Christopher Call (Lisa) and daughter Lori Call, all of Santa Barbara; granddaughters Erin (Matt) Almaraz and Janna Call. His younger brothers predeceased him.
Celebrations of Life will be held at Community Covenant Church of Goleta at 2 pm on Saturday, March 14, and at Pasadena Covenant Church at 3pm on Friday, March 20.
To attend the March 14 Goleta service virtually, copy and paste into your browser: https://youtube.com/live/gBBwIFAXr5s?feature=share.
To attend the March 20 Pasadena service, copy and paste into your browser: https://pasadenacovenant.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=43ec7ccaf006edc2bcfc8fe5d&id=6095005749&e=309d8d75e4
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fuller Seminary for the Merlin Call Scholarship Fund or the General Fund.