Dorothy Daphne Merritt

Dorothy a resident of Lancaster for many years, passed away last Monday in the Palmdale Regional Hospital after a brief illness. She was preceded in death by her husband, MSgt. Donald Merritt; her only brother, Talmadge Carroll, and her parents. She was the daughter of Eula Mae Orsburn of Texas and Bartholomew Franklin Carroll of Arkansas. She is survived by her only daughter, Pamela (Glen) Egbert of Palmdale; her only son, Michael Merritt of Lancaster; three grandchildren, Natalie, Jordan and Ethan; nine great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A devout Christian, Dorothy was active in church and ministry since her early teens. She was a member of the Baptist Church for many years, and later of the Desert Vineyard. In recent years she was a devoted supporter of the Billy Graham Ministry. A highlight of her ministry was a member of an expedition which smuggled Bibles into Communist China. She survived an attack of Myasthenia Gravis in her early 40's, and was the first adult patient to receive plasmaphoresis at the research center in San Francisco. She liked to refer to herself as the “guinea pig #34.” As a result of her experience she became a leader in local support groups, and was a frequent speaker at rallies and therapy meetings. Dorothy loved to write, and was active in local writer's clubs for many years. She recently published her memoirs, highlighting the migration of her family from Missouri to California in the Great Depression. She was also an accomplished painter, and many of her pictures were featured and sold at local galleries and auctions. Dorothy suffered a number of health disasters in recent years, but she never lost her faith or determination. She valued her independence, and insisted on continuing her life at her home of some fifty years in Lancaster. When the end came, she met it with the relief and joy, passing peacefully in her sleep.