Colleen May Merritt

Colleen May (Grandma) Merritt crossed over to meet her Savior on April 10th, 2022. Waiting there to greet her also was her husband of 67 years, Karl. Oh, what a joyous reunion that must have been for both Karl and Colleen. She had been awaiting that reunion since Karl passed. Others were certainly waiting to greet her; her mother, father, all of her sisters, all but one of her brothers, other progenitors, and the long list of friends, neighbors and loved ones whose lives were made better by knowing this sweet woman in mortality. For the rest of us left behind who knew Colleen, we will miss our mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, neighbor and friend - - she brightened the lives of those that were lucky enough to have crossed her life's trail.

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Colleen spent a lifetime in service to her family, her husband first - Colleen was always at his side, loving, supporting, tempering and cultivating joy throughout their storied life. Her children next - Colleen was the embodiment of the quote, "A mother's work is never done." Nearly everything Colleen did was in someway related to supporting, loving, growing, or building confidence, for one of her 5 Children, 19 grandchildren, 37 great-grand children, and 3 great-great grandchildren on the Earth when she passed. Colleen distributed food, money, service - even taking her posterity into her home after her kids had been raised - serving whatever need arose and where she could make a difference. If all the world loved like Colleen loved our family, what a great place this world would be.

Colleen was devoted to her faith, it was her North Star throughout her life and a source of strength and learning in her waning years. She was married to Karl in the temple. While raising her five children, she was also always serving in one of her multiple callings within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She served well in all, but it was her time with the primary that she recalled with the most fondness - She loved the children, loved teaching them about the gospel, and the children loved Sister Merritt.

Colleen and Karl raised their family in the heart of Salt Lake City, near Liberty Park. Her grandchildren warmly remember spending nights watching fireworks from her front porch while eating themselves sick on her freshly picked cherries. She was an exemplar for preparation and food storage. There was never a shortage of grain in the cellar, quilts or coats for those who needed them or apricot leather in the pantry from last year's crop. Its a wonder to consider now how so many of us enjoyed the grapes, raspberries, apricots, pears, peaches, apples, currants, cherries and black walnuts that came out of the modestly small yard at 1412 S 500 E. And how little of it went to waste before being bottled, canned shared or stored.

After supporting Karl through his locksmith business and working at Rocky Mountain Bank Note, Colleen and Karl retired "Waste not, want not." to the Uintah Basin at their little Red Creek Cottage that Karl and Colleen built together with the help from their family. KC's corner - for Karl and Colleen - they spent ~20 years there building friendships and bonds that will last forever. Always the service oriented humanitarians, Colleen and Karl spent countless hours preparing quilting squares, making quilts, knitting hats and scarves, contributing in whatever ways they could to lighten the burden of those in need. Colleen is loved and respected everywhere she has called home, and she has left an inspiring legacy of what it really means to be a good neighbor.

In the Fall of 2020, Colleen moved to Ogden to be closer to family and services. She helped to take care of Karl in his final months of life in Ogden and buried her life-long partner after his passing on December 30th, 2020. The last year Colleen has spent in contemplation about the gospel, her Savior, life in mortality and pondering how these mysteries all fit together. And of course she has missed her Karl. Colleen was very grateful for her daughter Diane's caregiving in the twilight years of both her and her husband's lives - a legacy of service passed from mother to daughter.

We are confident as Colleen passed over to meet the Savior in his embracing arms, he whispered to Colleen, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”