Jane Merritt Obituary

Jane Merritt, cherished wife and partner of Charles for nearly 63 year of marriage, devoted mother of Brock, and beloved grandmother of Emelia and Jace died at Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday, April 20, 2017, following a long hospitalization for hereditary heart disease and

respiratory complications.

Jane was the second child born to Hilda and Albert Gretzinger on June 20, 1933. She attended Navarre Ohio High School, graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in economics in 1955 and later attended graduate school at Columbia

University in New York City. She met her husband, Charles, at Oberlin. They were married in Navarre on July 9, 1955. In addition to her husband, son and grandchildren, she is

survived by her sister, Roslyn.

Jane's life journey took her to Bordentown, New Jersey while Charles completed his time in the U.S. Army and subse-quently to New York City where both attended graduate school. Her husband's career took them to various churches in Akron, OH, Nashville, TN, Sacramento, CA and Dallas, TX before bringing them to First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs in 1979 where they lived until moving to the Phoenix area to be near their physician son and his family in 2011. A lifetime member of The League of Women Voters and various political groups, Jane worked for the Performing Arts for Youth Organization and The American Numismatic Association in Colorado Springs and sang in the Chancel Choir at First United Methodist Church and in the Pueblo Chorale.

Jane's family and many friends remember her as a caring,

loving person who gave herself unconditionally to all whose lives she touched. She will be deeply missed.

A memorial service will take place at First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that

memorial gifts be made to the Music Program of First United Methodist Church, 420 N. Nevada Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80904.