Donna Merrill

Donna M. Merrill, 79, of Holt, Missouri, died Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at home.    Donna was born in Raymond, Nebraska, daughter of Edith Marie and Donald F. Spellman, on October 30, 1933.During World War II, the family moved to California, first to Pasadena and then to Hidden Valley, near Thousand Oaks.  She attended high school in Oxnard, California.  An English teacher, Rose Stiles, recommended her for a scholarship to Park College, Parkville, Missouri.  There she met her future husband, Robert H. Merrill.  They were married in 1952 and had four children:  Nancy, Catherine, Robert, and Barbara.    Donna was alumni secretary and executive secretary of the Alumni Association at Park College from 1953 to 1957.  She helped her husband in his advertising agency, Advertising Service and Productions, from 1957-1960.  She taught in the Smithville, Missouri, and Shawnee Mission, Kansas, school districts from 1965 through 200l, and at St. Agnes Catholic School, Shawnee Mission, Kansas, from 2000 through 2007.  After retirement, she continued working as an online tutor.  In Shawnee Mission, she was very active in developing curricula for gifted students.  After receiving her doctorate in 1983, she also taught at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Kansas, and in the Rockhurst University summer science program.  She was one of the co-founders of the Summer Institute for the Gifted in Kansas City, Missouri.  She was listed in Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who Among America's Teachers, Who's Who Among Professional Women, and Who's Who in America.   The professional accomplishment that pleased her the most was the Penny Project at St. Agnes, in which 840,132 pennies were contributed to the Heifer Project.  As a result of this, these animals were sent to families in developing countries:   23 pigs, 3 flocks of ducks, chickens, and geese, 7 flocks of chickens, 2 heifers and a bull, 3 goats, 2 llamas, 2 sheep, 2 water buffalo, 3 rabbits, 2 oxen, 2 camels, 3 guinea pigs, 2 donkeys, and a hive of honeybees.  As a Depression child, she knew that these animals would make a difference to the families receiving them. She and Bob built a home on 17 acres in Holt, Missouri, in 1990, and for 23 years, this was their favorite place in the world.  She and Bob loved to travel, especially in England and Scotland.  During the 1980s, they spent many summers there, traveling from one B & B to another.  Their most favorite places included the Scottish Highlands, Iona, and Drumnadrochit.  Her travels also included trips to Mexico and Peru to visit archaeological sites.  She loved books, both reading and owning them.  For many years before her death, she had a bookshop on the Internet, where she disposed of her lifetime library one book at a time.  She was preceded in death by her parents, by their son, Robert A. Merrill, and by her brother, William Spellman. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Robert Merrill; her brother's wife, Carolyn Spellman, of Parowan, Utah; her sister, Marilyn Robertson, of Las Vegas, Nevada; her daughter,  Nancy Sayed,  of Holt, Missouri; her daughter, Catherine Merrill, and her partner, Mike VanZant, of Holt, Missouri; her daughter, Barbara  Reed, of Parkville, Missouri; eleven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.   She felt lucky that, during a long working life, she had wonderful relationships with many of her co-workers and young people.  She treasured her friends, family, and pets.  Services will be held on Sunday, June 9, at Parkville Presbyterian Church, 819 Main Street, Parkville, MO  64152. Visitation 1:00-2:00 p.m. with a memorial service at 2:00 p.m.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Heifer Project via http://teamheifer.heifer.org/InMemoryofDonnaMerrill.

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