Kathy Lynn Merchant
Kathy Lynn Merchant, 68, of Millersburg, died at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids Tuesday July 14, 2020. The daughter of Thomas and Mildred (Fitch) Leach, Kathy was born March 18, 1952 in Rogers City and was raised in Millersburg. Kathy worked as a caregiver for those with special needs, in particular individuals with Down syndrome. With her compassion and kind heart her work was very rewarding and she loved what she did. She treated those she cared for like family and continually brought them special treats, gifts and little trinkets.
Kathy’s main priorities in life were her family, food and traveling. Kathy loved her family without condition and would do anything to help them.
Through the good times and the difficult times, she was there to support and love her family. When they were hurting, she was hurting and when they were happy, she was happy too. She was nurturing not only to her children and grandchildren, but to her siblings as well. The “mother hen” of everyone, Kathy loved to cook for family gatherings that were often held at the community center in Millersburg because of the size of the family.
An excellent cook, her family raved about her cooking, including her potato salad, homemade soups and special birthday cakes. She baked with love. She always made more than enough food and really didn’t know how to prepare in small quantities so her family was very lucky to always go home with leftovers. Always prepared to cook for a crowd, Kathy enjoyed shopping for large quantities at Sam’s Club and loved hitting the sales at Freddie’s and Meijer.
If Kathy had a personal motto it would have been, “Have suitcase, Will Travel!” And travel she did. Kathy traveled mainly with her siblings and visited much of the United States. With her adventurous spirit, memorable trips were taken to New York City, Las Vegas, the Outer Banks, Florida, California, Arizona, the eastern states, Cancun and England to name just a few. She enjoyed every minute of her travels and never turned down an opportunity to go on a trip. Arizona was her favorite of the states she visited and she was totally impressed with the shows on Broadway.
An avid reader, especially aloud, Kathy read each night to her children and grandchildren until they were well into their teens. She read the entire Harry Potter series and all the Little House on the Prairie books to them. When traveling in the car, she would read to those she was riding with to pass the time on the road.
With her sharp mind for retaining information Kathy was the master of trivia and had a gift for remembering random information. She was the family historian, rarely forgetting things that happened years earlier. She remembered names, places, and events with her family calling her when they couldn’t recall something. Kathy loved a good ghost story and enjoyed watching television shows about paranormal activity, that is, when she wasn’t watching her other favorite show, “The Kardashians.”
Kathy will be remembered for her zest for living. She loved an adventure, was fun, and sometimes quite a goofball. She loved to laugh and spent as much time as possible with her family. Kathy lived her life to the fullest, laughed often and loved deeply. Gone too soon, Kathy’s will be sadly missed.
Surviving Kathy are her daughters, Deb (Jim) Palomaris of Onaway, Shannon Merchant of Millersburg and Kelsey (Christian) Smith of Onaway; grandchildren, Lacey and Tyler Morgan of Grand Rapids, Brianna Hillis and Kelsey Boda of Cheboygan, Daniel and Savannah Vredenburg and Alex Smith, all of Onaway; as well as two great-grandchildren, Sebastian and Lillian. Kathy also leaves her sisters
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents; a granddaughter, Amanda LaFave; a grandson, Aiden James Dean Merchant; a brother, Dale Leach; and a brother-in-law, Larry Arnold.
A memorial service was held at Kathy’s home, 5123 Elm St., Millersburg Sunday, July 19, followed by a Celebration of Life gathering. The Rev. James Brabson officiated. Kathy’s final resting place is in Millersburg at Riverside Cemetery.