Mary Elizabeth 'Betty' Merkle

Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Merkle, 97, a resident of Grace Village Health Care, Winona Lake, Indiana, and formerly of Claypool, Indiana, went to heaven on Friday, January 17, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. She was born on September 14, 1916, in Blanca, Colorado, to Wilbur Albert and Josephine Blanche (Pavy) Campbell. They were both Methodist ministers. She married Charles Robert Merkle on February 8, 1941, in Shelbyville, Indiana. She was a Registered Nurse. She graduated from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, in 1938, and later graduated from the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing, Indianapolis, where she taught Nursing Arts. In 1946, she moved to Claypool, Indiana, where she worked as a Special Duty Nurse. During her life, she volunteered her professional nursing skills, caring for people in their homes. She also founded The Golden Cross Fund to assist the less fortunate in her community. In addition, she was a volunteer dispatcher for EMS in the 1980’s. She was a member of the Claypool United Methodist Church; Trinity United Methodist Church, Shelbyville, Indiana; and the Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS), Claypool. She was a leader of the Claypool Girls 4-H Club in the 1960’s, and a member of The Claypool Jolly Homemakers Club, which is no longer active. She lived in Claypool until moving to Grace Village in 2009. She was a loving mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by two daughters, Jo Anne (and spouse Robert) Sennett, of Claypool, and Marjorie (and spouse James Russell) Henderson, of Florence, South Carolina; a sister, Miriam B. Senger, of Shelbyville; five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Charles Robert Merkle, who died on February 3, 1977; her daughter, Emily; and one brother. Visitation hours will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, at McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, Warsaw. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at the Claypool United Methodist Church, with Pastor Mike Settles officiating. Burial will be at Graceland Cemetery, Claypool, Indiana. Memorial contributions may be made to: the Claypool United Methodist Church and/or the Claypool United Methodist Women, 302 East Section Street, Claypool, Indiana 46510; or Kosciusko Home Care Hospice, Inc., P.O. Box 1196, Warsaw, Indiana 46581-1196. To send condolences or to sign the guest book go to: www.mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com