Elise Belle Merrifield, 85, passed away at her home in Waldoboro on Dec. 24, 2021. Elise was born in Rochester, N.Y. on March 26, 1936, to Max Andrew Karner and Helen Johnson Karner. She grew up in Brunswick and graduated from Brunswick High School in the class of 1955.
She attended Gorham State Teachers College where she met Chester Merrifield. Elise and Chet enjoyed dancing and having fun together. Elise and Chet got married in 1957. They lived in Gorham, West Bath, Damariscotta and finally settling in Waldoboro in 1967. They also raised three sons, Fred, Charlie and Frank.
Elise worked for the SAD 40 School District as a bookkeeper handling all of the payroll. She worked for the district for many years, and was known to be very meticulous in her work right down to the last penny. She joined the Broad Bay Congregational Church in Waldoboro when the church moved to its new location on Main Street. She was a very active member of the church. Elise always enjoyed helping others in her quiet, dignified way. She was a gentle, no-nonsense soul and a kind person. She enjoyed watching football, old Westerns, and was an avid reader. She also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, cooking and visits with the family. Elise (Mom, Grammie) will be deeply missed.
She was predeceased by her husband, Chester S. Merrifield; and by a brother, Max Karner.
She is survived by her sons, Fred Merrifield and his wife, Debra, of Waldoboro; Charles Merrifield and his wife, Diane Atwood, of Cumberland; and Frank Merrifield and his wife, Jennifer, of North Yarmouth; grandchildren, Christina Bendtson and her husband, Eric, of Appleton; Elizabeth Grierson and her husband, Ian, of Appleton; James Merrifield and his wife, Audrey Schwinn, of Chelmsford, Mass.; Kristen Atwood, of Casselberry, Fla.; Katherine Atwood, of Biddeford; Jordan Merrifield, of Portland;and Jared Merrifield, of North Yarmouth; great-grandchildren, Noah and Asa Bendtson, of Appleton; Olivia and Anya Grierson, of Appleton; and Chester and Melody Merrifield, of Chelmsford, Mass. She also has many nieces and nephews.
A service to celebrate Elise’s life will be held at the Broad Bay Congregational Church in Waldoboro at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15.
Contributions in Elise’s memory may be made to the Broad Bay Congregational Church, P.O. Box 161, Waldoboro, ME 04572.
Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Cornish in the spring.
Arrangements are entrusted to Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, 949 Main St., Waldoboro. Condolences may be shared with the family at hallfuneralhomes.com.
