Marilyn Way Merryweather was born in St. Louis, Mo. on July 11, 1935; her life ended on July 17, 2018 in Akron, Ohio.
Marilyn embraced her life and learning with enthusiasm. A student, a wife, mother, and grandmother, she was an avid reader who traveled extensively and pursued hobbies and interests including literature, philosophy, genealogy, fine arts, fabric art, and theater. She lived life boldly, with compassion, optimism, and joy.
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Thomas Robert Merryweather, who is native to Akron. The family resided in Ohio, where they raised their children: Melissa, Timothy (Denise), Betsy (Nate) Stuyvesant and Gregory Merryweather (Anna Kovel). Marilyn's brother, Lawrence W. Way, (Catherine), survives her, as do five of her six grandchildren: Ryan, Amanda, Ted, Henry, and Theo; and nieces and nephews. Her grandson, Lucian Merryweather predeceased her in 2013.
Marilyn graduated from Cornell University in 1957 and received her MA Degree from the University of Akron thirty years later. Professionally she was a teacher, a manager, and a community volunteer, as a teacher and on the Old Trail School Board. She authored two books: the first, a centennial history of the Summit County Children's Home, entitled "The Only Home They Ever Knew," was published in 1990. The other was a narrative Merryweather/Way family history, entitled "Time In A Box," published in 2009.
For seventeen years of their retirement Marilyn and Tom divided their time between Oro Valley, Arizona and Akron, Ohio. In Arizona Marilyn indulged her interest in art: painting with watercolor, mixed media, and collage, specializing primarily in colorful landscapes, flora, fauna, and desert scenes.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Lucian Merryweather Memorial Fund for Financial Aid at the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, in Brooklyn, NY, or to Women's Endowment Fund at the Akron Community Foundation. To share a Memory, Send a Condolence, or Light a Candle, visit the Tribute Wall at
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(Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)