Merrill Katherine (Crane, Bishop, Evans) Atchison, 95, passed away Oct. 26 in Haverhill with her loving family by her side.
Born in Los Angeles, she was the daughter of the late Aaron Raymond and Eva Katherine Crane. In high School she was the captain of the Hoover High School drill team. Later, she was queen of Job’s Daughters as well as queen of the San Diego USO during the latter part of World War II. There she met Victor Edward Bishop whom she married in 1945. They had a son, Mark Edward. The marriage ended and she was a working single mom until she married Jack Donald Evans in 1952. Evans passed away in 1994 and she was remarried to James Edward Atchison in 1997. They both retired and moved to Grand Junction, Colo., where she assumed nanny responsibilities for a number of the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Atchison passed away in 2003 and in 2007 she moved to Haverhill to be close to her son and lived there until her passing. In the 1940s and 1950s, she worked for Pacific Bell of California as a telephone operator and later as a supervisor, after which she was a bookkeeper for a number of different companies in the San Diego area, until her retirement. She was a dedicated Christian and professed a strong faith in Jesus Christ and was instrumental in strengthening the faith of those around her, family, friends and acquaintances. Atchison crocheted constantly in her later years and there’s hardly anyone who knows her that does not have something she made. She did not live her life to be noticed, but she lived life in such a way that she will be missed by everyone who knew her.
She is survived by her son, Mark E. Evans; stepchildren, Debra Pierson and James Atchison Jr.; step grandchildren, Case Atchison, Bobby Pierson, Patrick Pierson, Christopher Pierson, Stephanie Ruf, Melanie Ruf, Matt Ruf; step-great-grandchildren, Andrew Yness Ruf, K’Brianna Lyness Ruf, Ethan Cypinski, Jordan Pierson, Curran Atchison, Ocianna Atchison, Nathaniel Pierson, Tyler Pierson, Kathleen Swenson, Johnny Pierson, Isaac Pierson, Camden Pierson, Rebecca Pierson, Alison Pierson, Maddie Ruf, Gracie Ruf, Ariel Ruf, Jason Ruf, Jacob Ruf; her step-great-great-grandchildren, Jakobe Pierson and Jaxson Pierson. She was loved by too many people to list.
A celebration of her life will be held at West Church, 767 Broadway, Haverhill on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Arrangements are by the Kevin B. Comeau Funeral Home, 486 Main St., Haverhill. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.