Helenmae Merritt

Surviving are her husband Clyde, daughter Lynn Merritt-Stubbs (Bob Kerby) of Decatur; grandsons Frank (Kelli) Stubbs, great-grandson Frankie and Jack Stubbs (fianc Samantha) of Phoenix, AZ. Frank and Kelli are expecting a daughter in October and Helenmae looked forward to the arrival of a great-granddaughter. Preceded in death by her parents, Helenmae will have a special reunion in heaven for the first time with her mother Myrtle who was lost to her during childbirth.A graveside funeral service will be held 10:00 AM Friday, May 29, 2009 at Cerro Gordo Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday from 5 8 PM at Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home in Cerro Gordo. Memorials have been suggested to American Cancer Society or DMH Hospice.Helenmae worked for 35 years at Borg Warner, retiring in 1983. With Clyde, they owned Mr. Big Stuff in Mt. Zion. It was always her dream to be a business owner and they shared many memories of the large crowds that came for dinner and dancing. Clyde and Helenmae were beautiful dancers and were requested to dance nightly. She worked by Clydes side on all projects, even hunting and fishing.A member of the Macon Eastern Star, she was involved in many charity events in Decatur and Phoenix, always the one working behind the scenes -- cooking, chasing the children somewhere, just working. She worried if the neighbors needed help or if the dog down the street was barking too much. She would always say, Someone needs to check and see if they need help. She could do almost anything and nothing was too big for her to tackle. We sometimes would find her under a car changing oil or in the yard working on the mower remember the blades need sharpening, so off shed go to overhaul the mower.Family was always first and the world had to stop if Lynn or Clyde needed her. Grandsons Frank and Jack were her love too. The boys now own a Harley Davidson Dealership in Phoenix. She taught the boys to water ski on Lake Decatur, extraordinary because she was afraid of the water and could not swim. But it was important that her grandsons had that experience and the boys never knew her fear. Because she was in treatment when Frank and Kelli were married in Hawaii, she stayed in touch on the Internet. Jack and fiance Samantha are planning an October wedding; Helenmae will watch from Heaven.She loved her animals and was sure that BO, her large Siamese cat understood her every word. She loved getting e-mails from friends and playing Spider on her computer. She always had a puzzle going and most of the time was working on a quilt for the family.Helenmae valiantly battled lung cancer for many years; the terrible disease won the fight. She loved and believed in Dr. Wade and his staff and our thanks to Cancer Care Specialists and her Hospice nurse Debbie. Her long time friend Nellie West has been at her side for the last 6 years and we thank you for your love and devotion to Helenmae. Special thanks to Shirley and Jay Allison, Marsha and Imogene Kipp, Tammy Bell, Bob Cooper and Sons and her angel, Bob Kerby.This caring and loving friend to many, she left no stone unturned and will be sadly missed by all those she touched in life. Helenmae with her family wrote her obituary. "
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