Merrey Lynn Luke

Luke, Merrey Lynn
Merrey Lynn Luke, 75, of Scottsdale, passed away on April 3, 2013. Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Merrey Lynn graduated from Washington High School in 1955 and went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska in 1959. She studied education and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. She began teaching in Denver, Colorado where she met her husband, Don. They began their life together in 1962 and their adventure continued for 50 years. After 14 moves that took them to two countries and nine States, they settled in Scottsdale and made it their home for the past 12 years. She was an active member of Pinnacle Presbyterian Church and involved with water aerobics and mahjong groups around town. Merrey Lynn was a gracious and generous hostess with creative talents that knew no bounds. Throughout her life, she traveled around the world visiting family and friends and touched the lives of everyone she met. With grace and determination, she had fought a ten-year battle with meningioma brain tumors. Recent months had proven to be the toughest in the fight. She will be deeply missed by her husband, Donald Luke, daughters Ann (Luke) and William Florance of Switzerland and Susan (Luke) and Bradley Silcox of Vietnam, grandchildren Emma and Erin Florance and Morgan and Gabriel Silcox. She is also survived by her sister and husband, Susan and Dennis Nielsen of Minnesota, sister-in-law and husband, Norma and Robert Koetter of Missouri, 5 nieces and nephews and 11 grand-nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Barrow Neurological Foundation: www.supportbarrow.org or Office of Philanthropy, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013; 602-406-3041. A celebration of Merrey Lynn's wonderful life will be scheduled this coming summer.