Muriel E. Gillard

Some people spend their entire lives chasing their ambitions, their careers, or their desires, never finding fulfillment or true happiness. Merle Gillard certainly wasn't one of them. Merle devoted her life to caring for what matters most in this world, the loving family who meant everything to her. Merle's story began on a cool spring day in 1917, in the little farming community of Hart, Michigan. Those were times of such hardship around the globe, as the perils of World War I affected so many. Yet on April 7, 1917, Earl and Nettie (Makin) Strait found reason to celebrate, with the birth of their only child, a baby girl they named Muriel. "Merle" as she was called, grew up on the family's farm in Hart, where her father diligently worked the land. Tragedy struck the family when Merle was 8 or 9, when her mother sadly died. When Merle was a teenager, her father remarried to wonderful woman named Eva, and unlike many children in her situation, Merle actually got along fine with her stepmother, and was thrilled when they started a family. When Merle was 18, her half-brother Russ was born, followed by two more children, Richard and Sylvia. By then a fine young woman, Merle left the farm in Hart, heading south to Muskegon, where she worked at the Mart Dock. There she met a handsome young coworker named Raymond Gillard, and the sparks flew between them. They soon began dating, and were married on June 3, 1939, at Merle's father's home on Broadway in Muskegon. He had moved his new family to Muskegon not long before, while working at Lakey's Foundry there. The newlyweds went to live with Ray's grandpa at his home on Evanston in Muskegon. Ray got a job at Lakey's, thanks to his new father-in-law, working there until it closed 38 years later, when he then went to work for Campbell, Wyant and Cannon. It wasn't long before the new bride and groom became mother and father. In 1940, Merle and Ray celebrated the birth of their only child, their son Ronald, who brought them so much pride and joy over the years. Merle was so fulfilled by being a wife and mother, and adored her little boy more than anything. Ron says Merle was "the best Mom ever," and provided him with everything he needed for a loving and nurturing home, and truly the perfect childhood. When Ron was 8 or 9, Merle went back to work, also at Lakey's with her husband and father. Merle didn't work alongside her husband, however. Since he worked first shift, Merle worked second shift, so there was always a parent at home with their son. She stayed there nine years, before going to work at Cole's Bakery, where she worked for 19 years until retiring in 1977. After starting out living with his grandpa, Ray and Merle built a little cement-block home on Evanston, near Sheridan, and it was truly a team effort for the two of them. After seven years there, they built a bigger, better home right next door. Both of the homes were "pay as you go" situations, building them little by little. Ray would come home from work and go right to work on the new house, well into the wee hours of the morning. Ray was a workaholic and Merle and Ron would have to beg him to stop working so they could take family vacations! When Ron was 8 or 9, they dragged Ray up north to Lake Missaukee in Lake City. Ray fell in love. He was hooked on the area, and for the next 12 years, the family kept a trailer there and went up nearly every weekend. Merle loved it, too, and always enjoyed being in the great outdoors and going fishing with her husband. In 1977, Ray and Merle were getting ready to retire, and were in Zephyr Hills, Florida, setting up their retirement home in a trailer park there. Sadly, Ray died there of a heart attack, which was devastating to Merle and Ron. Merle and Ray had always done everything together, and Merle didn't know how she would get by without him. Somehow, through her own inner strength and spirit, she persevered. She continued bowling in the same league she had for many, many years, and also took up the game of golf with a group of friends. Merle also began traveling, with her friends through the Orchard View Community Education, which is a popular activity in Muskegon. She took many different trips with them, from short day trips to longer ones across the country. She also devoted much of her time to her loving family, which now included Ron's wife, Ruth Ann, and the grandchildren she adored so much. She was a very involved grandma, and enjoyed attending her grandson Michael's sporting events, faithfully clipping the newspaper articles about him into her scrapbook. Her granddaughter Michelle was a cheerleader and Merle went to her events, too, cheering right along with her. Merle also remained very close to her younger siblings and her cousins, many of whom still lived in Hart. In 1993, she was visiting relatives in Hart when her Alzheimer's became a noticeable issue. She drove there for the visit, and after leaving, returned an hour later, as if she was just arriving. That was the beginning of Merle's slow but steady decline. Ron realized his mother needed help, and worked thoughtfully and compassionately to get her better care gradually, letting her keep as much independence as possible. Merle had been living in an apartment, and Ron eventually moved her incrementally into an apartment near him in Ravenna, then an assisted living center, and finally to a nursing home. It was hard for Ron, but also for Merle, too, who realized what was happening, and was losing her independence, a very scary realization for her. By about 2003, Merle no longer recognized her son. Her quality of life became so diminished, she expressed her desire to go and be with her beloved Ray in heaven. Merle went to be with her husband on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, dying at the age of 89. Merle was a wonderful woman, such a caring, compassionate lady. She devoted her life to loving the family who meant everything to her, as an amazing wife, mother and grandmother. Today her life, and her love, lives on in all who knew her. She will be greatly missed. Surviving are her son, Ronald D. (Ruth Ann) Gillard of Ravenna; 2 grandchildren, Michael (Rachelle) Gillard, Michelle Rae (Bill) Kops, both of Ravenna; 4 great-grandchildren, Evan & Ashley Kops, Emma & Addison Gillard; sister, Sylvia (Richard) Radbone of Seminole, FL.; sister-in-law, Beverly Strait of Grand Rapids; brother, James Russell (Marian) Strait of Fremont; several nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond and one brother, Richard D. Strait. Services are Saturday, March 10, 2007, 11:00 AM at Clock Chapel with Pastor Kevin Schutt officiating. Interment at Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation is also Saturday, 1 hour prior to the service at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorials may be made to the First Reformed Church of Ravenna Memorial Fund. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or sign the online guestbook.