Barbara Kathryn Pritchard Merrill

Barbara Kathryn Pritchard Merrill, born on election day November 6, 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio, and current resident of Tucson Arizona, died June 27, 2017. Her parents were Kathryn Walling Pritchard and David James Pritchard. She grew up in Lyndhurst, Ohio, graduating from Charles F. Brush High School, where in her senior year was bestowed the honor of Homecoming Queen.

Barbara graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and was an active member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. It was there she met her now deceased husband, John Brooks Merrill. She lived in Albion, New York for many years with her husband who was with the family funeral business, Merrill-Grinnell Inc. While in Albion she taught in elementary school in the Albion School System, and then served as the librarian after achieving her Master of Library Science Degree, from the University of Buffalo. She was an exceptionally devoted, loving and supportive wife, mother and sister, who saved her brother Phil’s life on at least one occasion in his youth.

After her husband retired from the funeral business, they moved to Tucson, Arizona. She was an avid bridge player and a very active member of two retirement communities, Sun City Vistoso and Brookdale Santa Catalina, including serving as the librarian in Brookdale for many years before she passed. She was past president of the Sun City Vistoso Genealogical Society and very active in historical and genealogy research.

She is survived by two sons, James and Mark Merrill, brother Philip Pritchard, grandchildren Hayley and Luke Merrill, niece Elise Dekoschak and several cousins.

Friends and family are invited to attend memorial services to be held on Saturday, July 29, at 10 am at Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home, 12 Ingersoll St., Albion, NY 14411. Please share condolences www.merrillgrinnell.com.