FRANCES JOAN MERRILL (née Kenealy), January 1, 2021. Joan was born January 20, 1933 in Baltimore to John and Helen Kenealy. She was a graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame. Joan met her husband, Jack W. Merrill, in Ocean City, and they married in 1954. They lived in Hagerstown and Baltimore before settling in Cockeysville to raise their three children, Tom, Steve, and Susan. Joan worked as a legal secretary at Covahey & Boozer, where she was in charge of real estate settlements. After her children were grown, she went back to school and graduated from Towson University summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1988. Joan loved listening to Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals and Elvis records, watching the birds in her backyard, riding motorcycles with her husband, and doting on her yorkie, Sammie. She was an avid reader of everything from history to mysteries. She especially enjoyed spending time with her brothers Donald and Bobby and brother-in-law Eddie, and her sister Eileen and sisters-in-laws Joan and Carolyn, “The Aunties.” She was a loyal friend and confidante to many. A committed volunteer at Baltimore soup kitchens and food pantries, Joan also enjoyed collecting toys for needy children with her church. She was incredibly proud to be “100% Irish” and loved to tell her children and grandchildren about Ireland and her family. Joan was a supportive and loving mother and devoted Nana who cherished the time she had with each of her grandchildren and never missed a cause for celebration and joy. Joan is predeceased by her husband Jack and son Thomas W. Merrill. She is survived by her son Steven W. Merrill and wife Betsy N. Merrill, and daughter Susan L. Merrill and husband Tom W. Faneuff, and her grandchildren Max Faneuff, Esme Faneuff, Ted Merrill, and Amelia Merrill, as well as her nieces and nephew. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CARES Food Pantry through the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter at 419 Cedarcroft Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212. A celebration of life will be held in the future.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Frances Joan (Kenealy) Merrill, please visit our floral store.