Marty Lou (Gard) Merriman, 78, of St Louis County, Missouri died December 23rd 2016. Born in Goshen, Indiana on July 24, 1938, the daughter of Melburn Dwight Gard and Clara Isabel “Bessie” (Booze) Gard the family lived in several Northeastern Indiana Lake Region towns in her childhood years including Cromwell, Syracuse and North Webster. Dwight, a well-driller by trade, also owned several businesses ranging from restaurants to sporting goods stores. Marty worked at all of them from an early age. She said her favorite was being a waitress at the diner her mother and Aunt ran on Lake Papakeechie across from the old fish hatcheries and Galloway’s grocery at Lake Wawasee where she was also a lifeguard. Tall, thin and graceful, she was named Mermaid Queen at North Webster’s Mermaid Festival at age 16. Marty graduated from North Webster High School and attended Purdue University for a short time. After moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, Marty was employed in her younger years by several high profile Fort Wayne employers including Wolf & Dessauer Department Store, Coca-Cola, 3M and Pitney Bowes. In later years she worked for Don Hall’s Factory Restaurant, the Gerber Haus Restaurant and Motel and the Cloverleaf Inn in Fort Wayne before moving to Auburn, Indiana and then on to Las Vegas, Nevada and eventually settling in St Louis, Missouri to be near her sons and their growing families. Marty enjoyed spoiling her dog, Rocky, quilting, needlework and helping the other residents of the retirement community where she lived the last five years. She still cooked like she had a family with three boys and many residents enjoyed her culinary endeavors. She spent her free time driving friends and neighbors to appointments and errands and visiting shut-ins. Marty passed away in the comfort of her home after battling heart disease. She is survived by three sons, Matthew (Sherri) Merriman of St Louis, MO, Mitchell Merriman of Key Largo, FL, Monte (Lori) Merriman of Festus, MO, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Marty donated her body to Washington University’s School of Medicine, so there will be no funeral, but the family plans to have a Memorial Service at The Fenton House 933 Gravois Road Fenton, MO 63026 on Saturday January 7, 2017 at 1 pm. Memorials should be sent to Feed My People Food Pantry 171 Kingston Drive St Louis, MO 63125.