Margie Ball Merchant

Margie Ball Merchant, 86, passed away on March 13, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Born October 27, 1939, in Chattanooga, TN, to Fred and Elsie (Moodie) Haley, her family later moved to Columbus, MS, where she attended S.D. Lee High School and was chosen as Key Club Sweetheart. An avid water skier, she also excelled as a competitive swimmer, holding a Mississippi state championship title record for decades. True to her humble and unassuming nature, her family did not learn of this achievement until the record was broken more than thirty years later.

She attended the University of Mississippi in the 1950s, where she was an officer in Delta Delta Delta and was celebrated as the Ole Miss Jitterbug Queen. She later served as a member of the University of Mississippi Alumni Association Board of Directors.

She married John Jewell Ball in 1962, and they shared forty devoted years of marriage until his death. Their deep and enduring love shaped the close family they built together and the generations that followed.

For more than fifty years she made her home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where she was known for her beauty, gracious spirit, quiet strength, and lifelong love of gardening.

Later in life, she was blessed to reconnect with her high school sweetheart, Harold Merchant, and they shared eighteen happy years of marriage.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Jewell Ball; her beloved son, Haley Randolph Ball; her parents; and her sister, Kay Haley Carr.

She is survived by her daughters, Lisa Ball Williams (Franklin), Kay Ball Wyman (Steve), and Rene Ball-Morgan; and by the grandchildren she cherished — Luke, Eli, and Arlis Williams; John, Austin, and Matt Wyman; and Margie and Edward Morgan — as well as five great-grandchildren who brought her much joy.

Additional survivors include her husband, Harold Merchant; his children Kitty Merchant (Kevin), Derek Merchant (Donna), Todd Merchant (Morgan), and Sean Merchant (Laura); and grandchildren Rush, Stevie, Maddie, and Miles Merchant, all of whom she loved dearly.

She is also survived by her brother, Fred Haley, Jr.; her sister, Suzanne Haley Tannehill; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins whom she adored.

A private service will be held at a later date.In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial contributions be made to the charity of your choice. Acknowledgements of such memorials may be sent to the family at 109 Sunali Ln, Loudon, TN 37774.