Edith E. Merle, age 98, of Clearfield, died December 27, 2022. She was born on December 29, 1923 at home on the Wall Farm in Penn Township to Mildred (Helper) Bell Anderson and Oscar G. Anderson.
After graduating from high school, she worked at the Maritime Commission in Philadelphia, PA during WWII. She met her husband, Frank J. Merle, in Philadelphia and was married on Christmas Eve 1944. Upon returning to the Clearfield area, she was a homemaker, worked part-time at Sears Roebuck and Co, and was involved with the Chaplaincy Program at the Clearfield Hospital for 33 years.
Mrs. Merle was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church for over 65 years. At St. John’s, she belonged to the Friendship Club and Circle Deborah which provided community service for the congregation.
She is survived by her daughter, Victoria Naughton of Northbrook, IL and her son Frank Merle IV and daughter-in-law Deborah of Madeira, OH. She had four grandchildren, John Naughton of Plainfield, IL, Mark Naughton of Lafayette, CO, Cynthia (Merle) Lewis of Madeira, OH, and Frank Merle V of Valencia, CA. There are eight great-grandchildren, Alec, 21,Tommy 19, Matthew, 17, and Katie, 16, Naughton, and Anna Lewis, 13, and Frankie Merle VI, 10, and his sister Elizabeth (Betsy), 8, and sister Charlotte, 4.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Frank J. Merle on June 12th, 1983. She was also preceded in death by one brother, Boyd Ord Anderson, April 18, 1948, and to half brothers, Charles “Bud” Bell, August 25, 1998, and William “Billy” Bell, December 1, 2011, and by her son-in-law, William F. Naughton, April 23, 2020.
A memorial service will be held at the Beardsley Funeral Home and Crematory, Clearfield on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 10 AM with the Rev. Robert J. Way officiating. Interment will follow at the Historic Crown Crest Cemetery.
It is suggested that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Cancer Society, St. John’s Lutheran Church at 217 E. Pine Street, Clearfield, PA 16830, or to a charity of choice.
To sign the online guest book, visit www.beardsleyfuneralhome.com.