Ruth Merritt

Ruth Merritt, 85, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. A graveside funeral service will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Colquitt City Cemetery, with Rev. David Pickering officiating, beginning at 3 PM.

Born Sept. 7, 1940, she grew up in Colquitt and raised her own family there before moving to Pelham in her later years. For decades, she ran Merritt’s Bait and Tackle alongside her beloved husband Willard Henry Merritt, who preceded her in death on Jan. 13, 1998. In the years following, she served faithfully as the 911 Dispatch Supervisor for the Miller County Sheriff’s Department before retiring to devote herself entirely to her family.

She is survived by her four children, Terrie (Bobby) Hurst, Wayne (Lisa) Merritt, Diane Stuart, and Tammy (Robert) Davis; six grandchildren, David (Kandi) Harden, Ashley (Brewer) Turley, Briana (Matt) Bracewell, Erik (Alexis) Merritt, Jesselle (Daniel) Sertzen, and Sean (Randi) Davis; seventeen great-grandchildren, Drew (Kyndal), Kole, Alyssa, Kaitlyn, Chloe, Haley, Bradley, Leilani, Nathan, Watson, Erika, Ridge, Griffin, Merritt, Layla, Olie-Vivian Ruth, and Bryant; and sister, Glenda Bailey. In June 2024, she welcomed a great-great-grandchild, Wesley Drake Harden, and took absolute joy and comfort in the continuation of her beloved family.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Archbold Hospice, John B. and Elizabeth V. Wight Inpatient Hospice Center, at their website, Archbold.org.
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