SOLON – Virginia T. Merrill, 85, wife of the late Wilford J. Merrill, died Wednesday April 21, 2004, at Cedar Ridge Center for Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Skowhegan. Born June 20, 1918, in East Corinth, she was the only daughter of John and Mabelle E. (Miller) Tuttle. She was a 1936 graduate of East Corinth Academy and a 1940 graduate cum laude of the University of Maine, majoring in mathematics with minors in engineering physics and electrical engineering. She was a member of NEAI MATHETAI, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, the Women’s Rifle Team and the Maine Masque. After graduation, she worked on Mathematical Reviews at Brown University and as a graduate assistant at the University of Maine. She served Solon as a town officer and taught in local schools for over 20 years. She received a master’s degree in mathematics from Bowdoin College under NSF scholarship. As a science teacher, she participated in an Atomic Energy Commission program at Oak Ridge, Tenn. She also taught summers in Upward Bound programs at Bowdoin College and the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She was Past Matron of the Keystone Chapter O.E.S. of Solon, a member of Maud Heald Cragin Chapter, D.A.R., and of the Maine Mayflower Society. She was an original member of the Maine Genealogical Society, and a member of the Solon Sesquicentennial Book Committee. Virginia also was a newspaper correspondent for the Waterville Morning Sentinel, Bangor Daily News and was a feature writer and cameraman for several other papers. She compiled genealogies for the Merrills, the Mansells, the Quinns, and several other families. She founded the Solon Historical Society, which now owns her former home on South Main Street in Solon. Virginia is survived by three children, daughters, Jane Berube and her husband, Victor, of Olympia, Wash., and Margaret Merrill of Waterville; a son, James Merrill of Monson; many grandchildren and other descendants. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, April 24, at Giberson Funeral Home, 40 Maple St. in Madison with Pastor Richard Haynie officiating. Interment will be in the Evergreen Cemetery in Solon. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a memorial contribution to the Solon Historical Society, P.O. Box 214, Solon, ME 04979.
VIRGINIA TUTTLE MERRILL
