Merceline Thottakath Dasius

Merceline Dasius, 76 passed away on Sunday, October 15, 2023, in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Merceline was born on November 6, 1946, to Merceline Dasius (A School Teacher) and Mary Dasius (A Housewife) in Cochin, Kerala, pre-independence British India, as the 4th child among 10 siblings. His native language was a south Indian language called Malayalam.

Merceline was baptized at St Joseph's Mount Carmel Cathedral, Archdiocese of Verapoly, Kerala, India. He was named after his grandfather, Marcellinus, who was named after St. Marcellinus, an early Christian saint and a Roman priest martyred in the early fourth century.

Offering evening prayers and Rosary was one of his everyday routines, which he would find time to do despite how busy he was. St. George, St. Rocky, St. Antony, St. Jacob and St. Sebastian were his favorite saints.

He completed his primary education at St. James Catholic School where his father was a teacher and finished High School at Al-Farookhia Higher Secondary School, Cheranellore. After completion of high school, he joined a Trade school to learn foundry operation and metalwork and in 1968 joined the workforce of HMT Limited. one of the biggest metal foundries in India. After 33 years of proud service at HMT Limited. he retired in 2001 as a foundry supervisor where he trained engineers from many countries and earned the title of favorite trainer at his workplace. He always took pride in his profession and was passionate about his work.

Merceline was a professional volleyball player who represented some of the well-known teams in the Cochin area and his HMT company team. His passion for soccer is well known among his friends. Apart from enjoying time with his family, Merceline enjoyed riding motorcycles, riding bikes, and sipping some good Scotch whisky. In his free time, he always watched soccer and volleyball, listened to Malayalam Christian devotional songs, Malayalam and Hindi songs from old time musicals and plays, and disco and dance music from 70’s and early 80’s.

He was an avid nature lover and passionate about gardening. In his garden, he always made sure that there were some fruits left alone in the trees even after the harvest, so that the birds and squirrels could enjoy them. He never liked anyone to pick the flowers from his garden and would always tell people not to pick the flowers as it was painful for the plant.

Merceline has four sisters, Victoria (deceased), Philomina, Fathima and Alphonsia; five brothers, George, Joseph, Rocky, Davis and Jovakim; and many loving nieces, nephews and relatives. He was always a family man and would be there for his family and friends no matter what. His immediate family in the United States are his sister-in-law, Liz and her husband, Thomas; four brothers-in-law, John, Jacob, Williams and Santhoosh; and their spouses, Roseland, Jancy, Victoria and Sajitha; and many nieces and nephews.

Merceline met his wife, Rosalind in 1975 and married on September 7, 1975, they have two children, Vinod (Wales, UK) and Vijay (Happy Valley, OR). He was a good husband to his wife and a loving father and role model for his children. He raised his children with Christian values and morals. Merceline was a very loving and caring father-in-law to his daughter-in-law, Winkle and a loving and caring grandfather to his two grandchildren, Nia and William.

A Visitation for Merceline will be from 3:00pm to 6:00pm, Monday, October 23, 2023, at Stehn Family Chapels Milwaukie Tribute Center, Milwaukie, Oregon. Celebration of Life will be 12:00 pm, Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 5239 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland OR 97206. Private interment will be held at Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley, Oregon.