On Jan. 5, 2021, God called home Evelyn Elizabeth (Waller) Merritt, long time resident of Radford, at age 68 in Charlotte, N.C.
Evelyn was born Dec. 17, 1952, in Meadowview, Va., to George Waller Jr. and wife, Irene Amelia (Lee) Waller and grew up in Radford. She always had a smile on her face and never met a stranger. She spoke to everyone that crossed her path. She loved family, helping others, travel, and animals.
Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents of Radford; paternal aunts, Elizabeth Lewis of Radford and Ruth Calfee of Dublin; maternal aunts, Doris (Lee) LeGrade and Ruth (Lee) Helms both of Des Moines, Iowa; maternal uncle, James ‘Jimmy’ Lee of New York City, N.Y.
She is survived by her children, Melba Merritt of Charlotte, N.C., Melvin Merritt II of San Diego, Cali. and DeHanza Kwong, of Missoula, Mt.; granddaughter, Haylee; brother, S.L. and niece of Bristol, Tenn. and a host of cousins throughout the New River Valley.
Evelyn was one of the first African American children to integrate Radford City Schools and knew the importance of education. As a teen, she was part of the Future Homemakers of America, graduated from Radford High School and went off to college at VCU in Richmond. Although she left to marry and raise a family, she later returned to school, and even with a young child who often attended class with her, earned a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in General Studies at Radford University and continued with graduate courses. Before retiring, she worked with special needs children in the Radford City School system and as a Substance Abuse Counselor for a juvenile detention home in Culpepper, Va.
We ask that you send any memories you’d like to share or pictures you have of Evelyn to memorialforevelyn@protonmail.com.
