Merilyn was a huge part of my life for the better part of 27 years, she was an incredible and kind lady with a heart of gold, She welcomed me and my kids into the family with open arms. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see her the last 3-4 years, but I thought of her often and smiled at the memories.
Music was her second love, and she took advantage of every opportunity to play the piano, it didn't matter what she played as long as people enjoyed listening to it, that's when you would see her incredibly beautiful smile and hear her laugh, all you had to do was name a song and she could play it. She was especially happy when her boys were together and would jamb with her, and that was an absolute MUST at all family gatherings, I remember, Tom used to bring his drum set or electric drums all the way from Cache Creek when he came to visit and on the few occasions when he couldn't, he would always rent a set, knowing that there would be a family jamb session scheduled at least a couple of times through his visit. She would beam with pride and happiness when she could convince Shawn to sing "This Little Penny", Shawn would always put up a fuss, but would eventually break down and sing for her. Her family and friends were everything to her, she would always keep up on how they were doing and try to keep in touch as much as possible. She used to babysit Kari when she was little until we got home from work, during their visits, she would teach her how to play cards and even tried to teach her how to play the piano. I remember when she taught Kari how to play crib and her complete surprise when Kari got a 29 hand, she said she almost didn't know how to count it.
Merilyn, you truly were a incredible lady, I will sadly miss you, but I know in my heart you are in heaven, sitting at a piano playing for all your friends and family. Rest in Peace beautiful lady, rest in peace.
