Editing Joe Mercer (section)

==Later life==
[[File:Joe Mercer*.jpg|thumb|left|A mosaic in memory of Joe Mercer]]
After quitting as Coventry City boss, he served as a director of the club from 1975 to his retirement in 1981. He was also an active [[freemason]] attending Rivacre Lodge No. 5805 at [[Ellesmere Port]].<ref name="mason">{{cite news|url= http://woolton.westlancsfreemasons.org.uk/2215-anfield-lodge/|title= Anfield Lodge No. 2215|date= 15 October 2017|work= Woolton Group of Lodges and Chapters|access-date= 17 October 2017|archive-date= 17 October 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171017202938/http://woolton.westlancsfreemasons.org.uk/2215-anfield-lodge/|url-status= dead}}</ref> Mercer was a subject of the television programme ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in March 1970, when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]]. He was made an Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] for services to football in 1976. He suffered with Alzheimer's disease in later life and died, sitting in his favourite armchair, on his [[Birthday effect|76th birthday in 1990]].<ref>{{cite book | author=Gary James | title=Football with a Smile: The Authorised Biography of Joe Mercer, OBE | year=1993| pages= 290 | publisher=ACL & Polar |isbn=0-9514862-9-2}}</ref> He was survived by his widow Norah, who remained a keen football follower, and attended Manchester City matches to support City for many years.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Widow of Manchester City legend Joe Mercer tells the M.E.N. of her delight that the Blues have finally repeated her husband's title glory |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1508613_widow-of-manchester-city-legend-joe-mercer-tells-the-men-of-her-delight-that-the-blues-have-finally-repeated-her-husbands-title-glory |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=17 May 2012 |access-date=2012-05-17 |archive-date=14 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714064314/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1508613_widow-of-manchester-city-legend-joe-mercer-tells-the-men-of-her-delight-that-the-blues-have-finally-repeated-her-husbands-title-glory |url-status=dead }}</ref> She died in March 2013 and her funeral was attended by 120-plus mourners, including City legends [[Mike Summerbee]], [[Tony Book]], [[Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946)|Colin Bell]] and [[Joe Corrigan]], as well as [[Sir Bobby Charlton|Bobby Charlton]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Legends pay respects to Joe's 'shining light'|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/legends-pay-respects-joes-shining-1972750|access-date=28 March 2014|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|date=26 March 2013}}</ref>

He is commemorated by his old club Manchester City with the road Joe Mercer Way at the [[City of Manchester Stadium]] being named after him. On the road, there are two mosaics by renowned Manchester artist Mark Kennedy of Mercer; one shows his smiling face lifting the League Championship trophy; the other is a version of a famous photograph showing the back of him as he looks out over the [[Maine Road]] pitch towards the Kippax Stand.<ref>{{cite book | author=Gary James | title=Manchester – A Football History | year=2008| pages= 461–462 | publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-9558127-0-5}}</ref> His contribution to City was commemorated in the Kippax tribute still sung at the City of Manchester Stadium to the tune of [[Auld Lang Syne]]: "The Stretford End cried out aloud: 'It's the end of you Sky Blues.' Joe Mercer came. We played the game. We went to [[Rotherham United F.C.|Rotherham United]], we won 1–0 and we were back into Division One. We've won the League, we've won the Cup, we've been to Europe too. And when we win the League again we'll sing this song to you: City, City, City."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/oct/11/forgotten-story-joe-mercer-england-manager | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=The forgotten story of … England under Joe Mercer}}</ref>

At Maine Road, a corporate suite, the Joe Mercer Suite, was officially opened by his widow Norah in 1993. A similar facility named after him exists at [[Goodison Park|Goodison]]. In 1993, Mercer's official biography, ''Football with a Smile'', was written by Gary James. This book sold out within six months and was revised and re-published early in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchesterfootball.org/publications.php |title=JOE MERCER, OBE – FOOTBALL WITH A SMILE |publisher=James Ward |access-date=26 November 2009 |archive-date=14 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214114759/http://manchesterfootball.org/publications.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mercer is also featured upon the mural that surrounds the [[Emirates Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/arsenal-history/heroes-together|title = Heroes Together| date=6 April 2024 }}</ref> Mercer was inducted into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] at the [[National Football Museum]] in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] on 4 July 2009. He was inducted for his managerial success.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/2009%20hall%20of%20fame.html |title=Latest news – Hall of Fame 2009 |publisher=National Football Museum |access-date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713093625/http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/pages/fame/2009%20hall%20of%20fame.html |archive-date=13 July 2009 }}</ref>