Annie Merritt
Annie Merritt (née Carlson; 9 December 2018 (aged 78)), known as Anna, was a resident of Thunder Bay and the mother of Brad Merritt.
Early life
Annie Carlson was born on 26 March 1940 in Kenora, Ontario.[1] As a young child she moved with her family to Fort William, where she was raised in the Westfort neighbourhood.[1]
Career
Anna held jobs at the Port Arthur Clinic and at Dr. Dodick's dental clinic before joining her husband in the family business, Kings Cleaning. After Kings closed she worked for several other cleaning companies, retiring in 2017.[1]
Personal life
On 17 November 1962, Anna married Simeon "Butch" Merritt.[1] The couple had three children: Bradley (born 1963), Lydia (born 1965), and Kevin (born 1975).[1] They lived on Lakeshore Drive, where their home was a frequent refuge for extended family and friends.[1]
Anna enjoyed reading, baking and cooking, and knitting and crocheting for her family. She volunteered for the Castlegreen housing co-operative, serving for many years as a cluster representative, and was a regular at Friday-night fish fries and Saturday-night HAGI TV bingo. She especially valued the family's Sunday dinners.[1]
Anna was predeceased by her father (1981), her husband Butch (2002), her mother (2010), and her brother Victor, sister Lorraine, and son Kevin, all in November 2016. She was survived by her son Bradley (married to Ginny) and daughter Lydia (Kerr), her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her brother Lorne Carlson, and her foster daughters Leona Veldhuis, Brenda Hansen, and Serena Michaud.[1]
Death
Anna Merritt died on 9 December 2018 at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, aged 78, after a short illness.[1] A celebration of life was held at the Castlegreen Community Centre on 29 December 2018, and following cremation a private family burial took place, with arrangements by Sunset Memorial Gardens.[1]