Merrie A. Libby November 12, 1932 – December 12, 2014

Donations are preferred to a favorite charity. Memorial services will be on Sunday, December 28, 2014, at 1:00 P.M., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 7th and Monterey Streets in Hollister. Condolences: www.blackcoopersander.com.
 Merrie Alice Libby passed away peacefully at home, in the early morning hours of Friday, December 12, 2014, at the age of 82.
 Her family finds it significant that she died on her mother’s birth date.
 Merrie had been anticipating December 19th, 2014, that will mark her 60th wedding anniversary to the love of her life, Jim.
 Her family knows that she was in good spirits, at home and easily transitioned into her new world, leaving behind her heritage for the living to carry on with her blessings.
 Merrie continued living in the family home on Monterey Street in Hollister, CA, with full time care since the passing of Jim, October 26th, 2012.
 She stayed active with her reading club, knitting group, and bible study partners that would meet in her home.
 She was born Merrie Alice Webb on November 12, 1932, at San Jose Memorial Hospital to Edward Otis Webb III and Bernice Wilma (Borchers) Webb. Although Merrie lived in several places through out her childhood (Salinas, Ca, Syracuse, NY, and Mill Valley, CA), she claimed San Jose was where she grew up.
 Her father was a businessman and started in the photography industry in the 1920’s.
 Merrie graduated from Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, CA and then from Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After graduation from Dominican, she went on to San Jose State to earn her CA teaching certificate.
 While at San Jose State, she met James Leland Libby of Hollister, CA while out square dancing. Jim was attending San Jose State to earn his Master in Education.
 Merrie and Jim met in the spring of 1954, and were married six months later in December of 1954, at Trinity Episcopal Church in San Jose. They moved to Hollister to raise a family.
 Merrie’s children, William (Bill) was born in March of 1957 and Susanne was born in August of 1959. The family moved into the house on Monterey Street in the summer of 1964. Merrie created a home and raised a family with Jim as they marked the town with the “Libby House.”
 Merrie taught elementary and middle school in San Benito County while her children were growing up. But Merrie’s passion was always crafting. Merrie had always been a seamstress and made many of her own clothes as well as clothes for the family. She would craft art work from fabrics as she decorated her home.  
 She enjoyed sewing, knitting, needlework, quilting, making dolls and shadow boxes. Merrie and Jim created a business for marketing her crafts, Meadow Mice.  
 Merrie incorporated several of her fellow crafters and their wares into her boutique shop that operated out of the front room of the house on Monterey Street.
 Family was always important to Merrie, as it was to her parents. The same was true for Jim. When Merrie married into the Libby family and she went from being an only child to one of seven. She enjoyed her new family as they graciously accepted her and her parents into their lives.
 Merrie’s faith was at the core of who she was for most of her life. Merrie grew up in a church-going Episcopalian home. She brought Jim to the church. During the Jesus Movement of the early 70’s Merrie and Jim became active in church in a more significant way through Crusillo.
 Merrie and Jim were part of Marriage Encounter as well. Both Crusillo and Marriage Encounter made a significant impact on Merrie and Jim individually and as a couple, creating a life-changing path they embraced together. Merrie is now in heaven with Jim, her mom, dad, grandson, Dylan and all of those who went before her. She now moves and walks freely in her new body.
 Merrie is survived by her son, Bill and daughter-in- law, Dolly of San Diego, her daughter, Susanne and son-in-law, Bud of Salinas, her grandchildren, Derek of Dallas ,TX and Savannah of Flagstaff, AZ.