Evelyn M. Merrill's Obituary
EVELYN
“Full of Life”
On Friday, December 13, Evelyn “Sweet” Merrill went home into the arms of the Lord she loved.
Born Evelyn Matilda Beeler, on April 2, 1920 to Daniel P. Beeler and Cordia Lee (Nichols) in Shawnee, Oklahoma, she was the first child delivered of twins, her brother Edward was nicknamed “little Son” and she was called “Sweetie”. Evelyn and Edward were inseparable until his untimely, accidental death. She never recovered from that loss.
She met James William Merrill and they married on June 4, 1938 in St. Helens, Oregon. Together they had two children, Susan Lea and Michael James. During World War II, while Jim was serving in the Navy in the South Pacific arena, she took on “men’s work” to help support the war effort, riding her bicycle every day to her job on the Columbia River. She devoted nearly twenty years to her final job as a certified electronics technician for Techtronic’s Corporation, working on equipment that was used in spacecraft sent to the moon.
Her lifelong devotion was to the church her parents helped to found, The First Christian Church of St. Helens. Throughout her membership she sang in the choir and served as a soloist as well. She was active with the children and youth, and later in life, the women’s group and prayer chain. She attended church as often as her health would allow, until her heart attack in 2010, when she was moved into assisted living in Portland.
She was the last living of her 6 siblings, and leaves behind her daughter Susan Merrill-Powell, her son Michael Merrill and wife Kay. Grandchildren Blair and Tauran Ivall, Holly Hilton, Dawn Webber, as well as seven great-grandchildren also survive her.
Services will be held at Christian Church in St. Helens, Oregon, on Monday, January 6, 2014 at 2:00 PM.
On-line condolences may be sent to the family at www.columbiafh.com
Columbia Funeral Home, Directors
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