Obituary of Gladys Naomi Merrill

Gladys Naomi Merrill Was born on August 8, 1931 in Miami Florida, to Joseph Nottage, of Tarpum Bay Eleuthera, The Bahamas, and Mildred Nottage (nee Cooper), of Key West Florida. The culture of the Bahamas strongly influenced Joseph and Mildred’s family. Such influences included dishes and flavors from the island, as well as the strong practices of Christian faith found there. Naomi, as she preferred to be called, also grew up in a tradition that expected all young women to possess skills in cooking, sewing, and playing the piano, Naomi fulfilled all three expectations. She was the pianist for the children’s Bible Clubs she held in her home. She made clothing for herself and for her family, including Easter dresses for her daughters. She also gained renown for such delights as stuffed cabbage, broken glass cake, and homemade coconut candy. At the age of 13, Naomi moved with her parents and four siblings, from Miami to Philadelphia, where her father was employed in the hospitality field and her mother in nursing. She graduated from Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia and continued to develop her faithful service in Christian ministry. She also continued to use her musical talents for God’s glory. Naomi, her sister Dorothy Nottage Williams, and friend Dorothy Evans all served in the outreach ministry, Christ for Youth. There they formed a singing group called The Girl’s Trio. The group soon became known as Dot, Dot, and Dash, because of the two Dots involved and because they were known to dash from one service to the next. The group has several wax recordings still in existence. On a typical Sunday, the trio would sing and teach at the Sunday Breakfast Association, a ministry established to assist in the nutritional care and spiritual nurture of Black children, children neglected by other whites only social service efforts. Their work there helped inspire many youths, some of which later became notable Pastors and ministry leaders throughout the Philadelphia area. From the Sunday B, as it was called, the girls would dash to Ebenezer Community Chapel, pastored by her uncle, Whitfield Nottage. Ebenezer was part of a network of evangelical ministries established across America by Whitfield and his brothers T.B. and B.M. Nottage. At Ebenezer, Naomi would teach Sunday school and serve in various other capacities. Such Sundays typically ended with ministry to inmates at the local prison. Naomi took the study of God’s Word very seriously and saw to it that she was a thoroughly equipped servant of the Lord. She completed Biblical studies programs offered by Manna Bible Institute and by Philadelphia College of the Bible. Such training furnished her with the skills and knowledge she needed as she continued to serve in ministries such as the Bible Club Movement and the 8th Street Mission. She also maintained a dedicated approach to musical training, receiving vocal coaching from her cousin Helen Cook at the Whitcap School of Music. While serving with Christ for Youth, she met a dedicated Christian disciple from Camden, New Jersey, by the name of Richard Merrill. As the two served Christ together in ministry they fell in love and married in the spring of 1955. The birth of Naomi and Richard’s first child, Mark, came in 1956, followed by Michael in 1957, Rachel in 1958, Joy in 1959, Timothy in 1960, and Melody in 1961. Even with a rapidly expanding family, Naomi continued in faithful service to her husband, her children, her church, her community, and her Lord. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and worked in organizing and teaching Vacation Bible School at her newly adopted church, Broadway Bible Tabernacle in Camden. She also continued to sing at missionary crusades and missions conferences. Naomi especially loved the ministry of reaching children with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Merrill home at 480 Newton Ave and later at 1260 Park Blvd. became neighborhood Bible Club centers. One walking by the Merrill house on a sunny afternoon would hear joyous children’s voices singing out “Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain growing deep and wide,” or “The B I B L E yes that’s the book for me,” or “Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah Praise Ye the Lord.” They might also see her demonstrating the gospel in a nutshell, her creative use of a walnut shell to tell the story of Christ’s mission to save us. Children packed into the Merrill house on Bible Club days, filling up the living room, the dining room and even up the stairs. Naomi served as a vital outreach arm for Child Evangelism Fellowship, holding backyard and front yard Five Day Bible Clubs in the summer, and enlisting her children to spread the gospel by handing out cards with a phone number children could call to hear a gospel message. Her world was filled with flannel graph boards, creative arts and crafts projects and a popsicle or candy treat to give the kids on their way home. She later became a Bible teacher at The Fellowship House in South Camden. She not only committed herself to bringing children into God’s Kingdom, but also trained others to do so. Her training and modeling of ministry to children impacted many and inspired others to such service, others such as her own children, several who have dedicated their lives to ministering to the needs of young people. Naomi continued her dedicated service as her husband Richard became director of Christian Ministries Incorporated (CMI) in North Camden. There she continued to minister to children, such as the Scripture Singers, a children’s choir who memorized and shared Bible passages through song. She also was active in outreach to needy families, organizing women’s programs, hospitality ministry, and so many other aspects of life at CMI. It was well recognized that while Pastor Richard Merrill led the ministry, it could not run without Sister Naomi Merrill. In her later years, Naomi was blessed with outpourings of expressions of thanksgiving for the ways she has impacted so many lives. She will be remembered as a faithful and humble servant of Jesus Christ, and as a woman of many talents, who could have enjoyed success in various arenas, but one who chose to follow the voice and the leading of her Savior, with whom she now rests in glory. Naomi Merrill was predeceased by Rev. Richard Merrill, her husband of 56 years, and her precious and beloved daughter Melody. She leaves to mourn and remember, five Merrill children: Mark and his wife Karen of Cherry Hill NJ, Michael of Camden NJ, Rachel of Pennsauken NJ, Joy of Voorhees NJ, and Tim and his wife Renata of Camden NJ, Five grandchildren, Andrew, Aaron, Jordan and his wife Autumn, Ayinde and Amadi, two great-grandchildren Noah and Taio, her sister Dorothy Nottage Williams of Portland Oregon, her sister-in-law Beverly Clay and her Husband Rev. Harrod E. Clay of Philadelphia, many nieces, nephews, friends and cousins both in the US and in the Bahamas. Most of all, she leaves a legacy of loving faith and service to Christ Jesus, her Lord, her Redeemer, and her Savior. Victoriously submitted, The Family.