Adele Elizabeth (Hamwey) Merritt passed away peacefully on June 6, 2024, at home in Orleans, Massachusetts with her family at her side. She was born in Somerville, MA in 1920, moved to South Natick, where she attended High School and then lived most of her life in her dream home in Holliston, Massachusetts.
The past few years she has lived on Cape Cod with her daughter and family. She is predeceased by her amazing partner and husband, Wilbur Morse Merritt, her parents, Ameen & Rose Hamwey, her son, John Merritt and six brothers and sisters. She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Merritt Shorthose, her much-loved grandchildren Andrea and Geoff, her son-in-law, Paul, her daughter-in-law, Patricia Merritt and many nieces, nephews and their children around the country. She cherished the support of her neighbors in Holliston.
She lived an amazing 103 years. She proudly built a well-respected business in Holliston, Merritt’s Floor Covering, with her husband, Wilbur, that installed hundreds of kitchens and bathrooms over 40 years. When she wasn’t supporting the business, she spent long hours in her own kitchen making sure that anybody under her roof was well fed. She was still preparing and teaching her grandchildren her mother’s family recipes as recently as the holidays of 2023!
She will be remembered for her smile, food, loving nature, determination and her commitment to her family – and her ability to communicate on just about any subject.
There will be a small, private burial. A celebration of life event will be held later in the year. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate in her name to an organization she respected greatly, Walker Therapeutic and Educational Programs – a leading non-profit providing much needed child welfare and behavioral programs at https://www.walkercares.org/DonateNow
Arrangements are under the care of the Chesmore Funeral Home of Holliston. www.ChesmoreFuneralHome.com
