BEVERLY ROETTINGER MERRITT

MERRITTBeverly Roettinger Merritt beloved wife of John E. Merritt for 59 years. Devoted mother of Jennifer (Greg) Duncan, John E. (Jackie) Merritt III, Nicole M. (Jim) Wheeler, Matthew Merritt, Christina Merritt, Joseph A. Merritt (Jennifer Malott) and Patrick (Jenni) Merritt. Loving grandmother of Gregory and Zach Duncan, Morgan, Courtney and John Merritt IV, Brittany, Samantha and Jimmy Wheeler, Nevin and Kiara Malott, Griffin and Nathan Merritt. Dear aunt of Denny (Nancy) Nagel, Dave (Debby) Nagel and their families and Mary Pat Werner. Died Jan. 22, 2014. Age 81. Born to Joseph and Lucielle Roettinger on April 10th, 1932, Beverly grew up in the South Cumminsville neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was there that she attended Garfield Elementary School, and right away forged lasting and lifelong friendships. She and this group from grade school nicknamed themselves, ?The Garfield Girls? and throughout her entire life, Bev enjoyed their gatherings and special times together.Bev attended Hughes High School in Cincinnati and earned her Bachelor?s Degree in English from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. On September 4th, 1954, Bev married the love of her life, John, whom she started dating when she was fifteen years old. After graduation from Miami, she went to work at Proctor and Gamble for five years. With the birth of her first child, Bev left P&G and began to raise her family, which over the next eleven years grew to seven children. Despite being a full-time mother, Bev dedicated herself to helping others through her volunteer work as a teacher?s aide. When the time was right, she began a full time teaching career at St. James School in White Oak, and always provided strong support to her family and student?s academic and athletic endeavors.Bev and John raised their seven children together, always at each other?s side, for their entire marriage of over 59 years. Although a modest and humble person, Bev was always extremely proud of her loving family. Beyond being an extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher, and friend, Bev was widely known for being the scorekeeper for countless baseball and basketball games her husband John voluntarily coached over several decades. She was famous for her encouraging phrase of ?Always good with two!? which she would cheer when there were two outs in an inning. More often than not, her optimism would lead to a rally, and before you knew it there was an extra hit, an extra run, and a win.Bev loved life. She had profound love and faith in God. She deeply loved her family and friends. Her love for animals, especially her pet dogs, brought her great joy. Bev?s genuine concern for those around her, her constant smile and positive attitude, and her ability to make those around her the center of attention, and not herself, will always inspire all of us who were privileged to know and love her. Visitation Friday, Jan. 24th from 4:00 ? 7:00PM at Mihovk-Rosenacker Funeral Home 5527 Cheviot Rd. (near North Bend Rd.). Mass of Christian Burial Saturday, Jan. 25th at 10:00AM at St. James Church (White Oak). Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital or to the John E. Merritt Scholarship Fund at St. James Grade School (White Oak). www.mrfh.com