In Memory
Marlene “Marly” (Deahl) Merrill
Marlene “Marly” Merrill, longtime resident of Oberlin, Ohio, passed away peacefully November 7, 2024 after an extended illness.
Marly was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1933, the only child of Orlo and Jessie Deahl who instilled in her the love of adventure, nature, books, and music. She graduated from Central High School in 1951 and continued her education at Vassar College, where she graduated as a child study major in 1955. In 1956 she married Dan Merrill, also from South Bend and son of Kenneth and Helen Merrill. They moved to Minneapolis, where he finished a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Minnesota and where their son Steve was born. After a brief stint in Galesburg, Illinois, they arrived in Oberlin in 1962. Their daughter Karen was born the next year.
Over more than six decades in Oberlin, Marly’s life took several notable turns. She taught elementary school until 1975, including at Eastwood School and in the first Head Start Program in Lorain County. In the mid-1970s, Marly began volunteering in the Oberlin College Archives and subsequently launched a remarkable career as a historian, documentary editor, and author. She published three books on her own, five collaboratively, and numerous articles. Marly was also an active community member, serving on many committees at Oberlin College and in the town of Oberlin: in particular, she brought her historical expertise to the work of the Oberlin Oral History Project, the Oberlin Historic Preservation Committee, and the Oberlin Heritage Center.
In 1987, Marly and Dan began spending their summers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where they hosted scores of friends and family over nearly thirty years. Having first visited the Tetons as a child with Orlo and Jessie, it was the place she loved most in the world.
Family and friends remember Marly’s graciousness and kindness, lively conversation, and her deep empathy. In the years following Dan’s death in 2016, Marly had a loving partnership with Griff Dye, whose wit and compassion enriched their days together.
Marly is survived by her partner Griff Dye; son Steve and daughter-in-law Nancy Day Merrill, and their children Annabelle and Jessie Mei; her daughter Karen and her former partner, Martha Umphrey, and their sons Theo and Dash; her sister-in-law Cynthia Tamny and brother in-law Michael Tamny, as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband Dan and her parents.
A memorial service will be planned. In lieu of flowers, donations in Marly’s memory can be made to the Oberlin Heritage Center, PO Box 0455, Oberlin, Ohio 44074
Arrangements are in the care of Dicken Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Elyria, Ohio.
For online condolences, visit www.dickenfuneralhome.
Posted online on November 15, 2024
Published in South Bend Tribune
11/16/2024 EJS
|