Kathleen Marie (Sears) Merrill

On Wednesday, October 18th, Kathleen (Sears) Merrill, age 69, passed away at home in Mount Holly, NC. She was born May 2nd, 1954, in Corning, NY the daughter of the late Austin and Eleanor (Mitchell) Sears Sr. She was a 1972 graduate of Corning West High School. Kathy worked at various plants doing numerous jobs in her 36 years at Corning Inc. which she retired from 2009, then moving to North Carolina shortly thereafter.

Kathy is survived by her children, Tracy Merrill-Soto of Corning, Daniel (Ashley) Merrill of Mount Holly, NC & Bethany Merrill of Iron Station, NC; grandchildren Kyla (Ken Vanbuskirk) Heath, Isaac (Jade Padgett) Heath, Jadari Tate, Logan Merrill & Mason Merrill; greatgrandchildren Ariah Fuller & Joshua Fuller Jr., siblings Beatrice (Roger) Beebe, Frank (Marty Winter) Sears, Bryan (Cheryl) Sears, Arlene Sears Closkey, sisters-in-law Bonita Sears & Suzanne Sears; dozens of nieces, nephews & cousins, countless friends including special friends Jeanette (Art) Whittaker & Becky (Dale) Coumbe & their families.

Kathy is predeceased by her daughter Jennifer (Merrill) O’Toole, her grandson Joshua Fuller Sr., sister Linda Sears, brothers Rev. Philip Sears, Austin “A.J” Sears & David Sears; niece Tammy (Beebe) Stilson & nephew Dale Sears.
Kathy will be remembered for her love of butterflies, crocheting, home cooking, her Birkenstock sandals, which she wore year-round, her cane that might have been used to gain your attention or retrieve something that was just slightly out of reach, and she always enjoyed a good joke.  One year she got the 1st buck of the season & got her picture on the front page of The Corning Leader…she was so proud of that. Kathy tried to present a tough exterior but had a kind heart & often put others first, helping in any way that she could. More than anything else though, she loved spending time with her family.

Arrangements were entrusted to Woodlawn Funeral Home in Mount Holly. Family & friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life that will be held May 4, 2024, at 1:00 pm at the Campbell Fire Hall located at 8766 St. Rt. 415 in Campbell, NY.

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