Lynne Merrill

Lynne Elizabeth Merrill left this world on October 4, 2025, to be with Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior and other loved ones who preceded her. Her age was a mystery, but knows you can do the math, so she’ll just leave it that she was young at heart. She was born in Elkhart, Indiana on January 3, 1937, to Elizabeth and Rollin Evans. She grew up in Indiana and Illinois and at 16 moved to Dallas, Texas with her parents. After graduation from Highland Park High School in Dallas, she attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas where she majored in biology and met the love of her life, Roy Merrill. Lynne took education courses from the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University and taught science for a year in Dallas. She and Roy were married there in 1960 and also lived in Lansing, Michigan, Muskogee, Oklahoma and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. They were blessed to raise two wonderful sons, David Thomas Merrill and Stephen Evans Merrill, who brought them so much fun and joy. Lynne and Roy accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in 1963, a decision that changed their lives, and many others that they shared the love of Jesus Christ with. They helped start Grace Bible Church in Muskogee and she enjoyed studying God’s Word and taught children in Good News Clubs and Sunday Schools. After her sons reached teenage years, she taught 7th grade life science at Hilldale Schools in Muskogee for 20 years and loved almost every minute of it. She always encouraged her students (whom she loved) to THINK, and established a “Great Thinkers List” that her students set as a goal to be on. She enjoyed playing card games and was obsessed with the Catch Phrase game. Those she played with can attest to the special “Lynne Rules” of the game, which no one seemed to understand but her, and oddly came into play when things were not going in her favor. She loved being a wife, mother, grandma, great-grandma, and friend to many. One of her greatest joys was time with her grandkids. When they visited, she and Roy would take them on small trips and outings that often turned out to be filled with unplanned hilarious twists and turns. She was also known for her creativity and wit with Christmas gifts tied to solving puzzles and riddles tied to scavenger hunts. As her grandkids got older, her way of keeping in touch was through texting corny quirky jokes they were asked to guess the answer to. Lynne is preceded in death by her loving husband. She is survived by her sons: David, his wife Barbara; Stephen, his wife Lori; grandchildren: Joshua, his wife Haley; Jonathan, his wife Kelly; Brooke, her husband Asher Griffin; great-grandchildren: Jack, Madeline, Bradley, Mackenzie and Evans. She took special joy and comfort in the personal faith every member of her family has in Jesus Christ as their Savior. The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to all the medical professionals, caregivers and hospice personnel for their compassionate care and kindness during Lynne’s final days. Your dedication and love made a difference, and we are forever thankful for the support you provided. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Our Daily Bread Ministries PO Box 2222 Grand Rapids, MI 49501 Or donating online at www.odbm.org The Gideons International PO Box 140800 Nashville, TN 37214 Or donating online at gideons.org

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Lynne Merrill

January 3, 1937 - October 4, 2025