Marta Carole Merritt Harrelson

Marta Carole Merritt Harrelson, 78, of Needville, Texas passed away on February 1, 2023 in Houston, Texas. She was born on November 22, 1944 in Uvalde, Texas to Manuel Burton Merritt and Jean Merck Hall. Marta was a member of the Avenue N Church of Christ in Rosenberg.
Marta Carole Merritt Harrelson will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, and "Grandma". She always strived to be the best Christian example and wanted all of her children, grandchildren, and loved ones to follow Jesus.
Marta started working at the age of 15 and continued after marriage until she began her career in real estate in the early seventies. She became a real estate broker and owned her own business, Red Carpet Realty, until 1980. Afterwards, she relocated to Abilene, Texas with her husband and family. She continued to work as a realtor until moving to Burkburnett, Texas. where she started a new career as a county tax appraiser. In 1989, Marta and Bill moved back to Lake Jackson, Texas where she continued working as a tax appraiser for Brazoria County. During this time, she also taught real estate courses at Alvin Community College. She loved what she did and loved helping people reach their goals. In the mid-nineties, she went into business for herself as an independent real estate appraiser in Brazoria and surrounding counties and continued after moving to Needville, Texas in 2004.
Marta loved art in a way no others could visualize but when she finished a project, it came to life. She enjoyed decorating and making her house a home. She loved making sure it was always ready for company so everyone felt welcome regardless of time or day. She also enjoyed working in her yard, cooking, and exercising. She enjoyed being involved with her congregation and bible studies. If you asked her what her greatest fear was, she would say "being a lukewarm Christian". Marta always made everyone feel special everywhere she went. She was all about family and loved spending time with her children and especially her grandchildren. Her favorite place was Surfside Beach and loved collecting shells. She would organize the ladies get-together every summer at Galveston Beach with her family including sisters and cousins. Of course, she always planned crafts for the weekend. She made friends in all the different countries and places she and Bill lived. She was married to her loving husband for 59 years and enjoyed traveling with him the last seven years prior to his illness and passing in 2020. Some of their travels included adventures of scuba diving in St. Croix, cross country skiing in Alaska, riding a camel in Syria, hiking through the mountains in the jungles in Columbia, ziplining and parasailing. Together, they lived large but most importantly they loved large.
To know Marta is to love her and she will be greatly missed.
Marta is preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Frederic Valden "William" Harrelson; parents, Manuel B. Merritt and Jean Merck Hall; brothers, Jeffrey Herbert "Chuck" McCaleb and Garry Edward Merritt; and brother-in-law, Ronald Duane "Ron" Fielden.
She is survived by her children, Dirk (Laura) Harrelson of Lake Charles, LA, Malae (David) Johse of Angleton, TX, and Dehbrenda (Craig) Preuss of The Woodlands, TX; and sisters, Susan Merritt Fielden of Canyon Lake, TX and Myra Jean (Larry) Hidalgo of Ennis, TX.
Her loving legacy will live on in her 12 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and a host of friends.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2023 in the Chapel of Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Home in Rosenberg.
A graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Nimrod Cemetery in Rising Star, Texas (near Cisco).
Pallbearers will include:
Valden Harrelson
Nolan Harrelson
Ronny Johse
Daniel Johse
Shannon Venglar
Trevor Preuss
Josh Smythe
Nolan Hewitt
Honorary Pallbearers:
Tyler Nezat
Connor Foster
The family welcomes flowers as Marta truly loved them, but for those wishing to make a monetary donation, please consider the American Heart Association.
Tributes and words of condolence may be left for the family at www.davisgreenlawnfh.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Davis-Greenlawn Funeral Home, 3900 B.F. Terry Blvd. (Hwy 59 South @ FM 2218), Rosenberg, Texas 77471, Phone: 281-341-8800.