Onita Merle Searles, 89, recently
of Morgantown, WV and formerly of Cameron, OK, passed away on Friday, December 14,
2018 at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown after a brief illness.
Merle was born on August 9, 1929
in Lodi, OK to the late Newton Oscar and Myrtle (Midgley) Hill. She grew up in Poteau, OK and went to work at
Central National Bank in Poteau as a teller.
While working there, she met the love of her life, Clarence Patrick
“Pat” Searles. They married in 1951 and Merle followed Pat all over the world,
living in Venezuela; Tripoli, Libya; Singapore; Bossier City, LA; and Bay City,
TX. After Pat retired from Dow Chemical
in 1983, they moved to his farm near Cameron where they lived together until
his death in 2017. Merle continued
living on their farm in Cameron until moving to Morgantown over Thanksgiving
2018.
Merle was preceded in death by her
loving husband of over 65 years, Clarence Patrick “Pat” Searles of Cameron, and
by her brothers Jerry Thomas Hill and Charley Neal Hill. She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Louise
Spencer of Coventry, RI, and Patti Bradbury and husband John of Morgantown; two
granddaughters, Kelly Spencer of Coventry, RI and Sirena Spencer of Tulsa, OK; one
brother, Joe Hill and wife Sandra of Oklahoma City, OK; two sisters, Nona
Carmack and husband Roy Don of Poteau, and Letha Pope and husband Buddy of Pocola,
OK; and many other relatives, loved ones, and friends.
Merle loved to cook wonderful
meals and desserts for family and friends, who loved to eat them, as she was an
excellent cook. She also loved to make
beautiful quilts and to play Uno, taking great delight in playing the “Wild
Draw 4” card on her son-in-law John who she always managed to sit next to at
the card table. In her younger days she
was an avid bridge player, photographer, and golfer. She always took excellent care of her family
as they lived in and travelled the world for many years before settling onto
the farm in Cameron. She nurtured many
pet dogs (especially her border collie mix Perra), cats, and other animals
(some exotic) over the years, including naming many of the cows that Pat raised
on the farm for slaughter. Merle was especially devoted to her husband, Pat,
and she missed him tremendously after he passed away last year.
Merle’s family wishes to thank
the doctors, nurses, aides, and staff at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown
for their compassionate care of Merle. Funeral
services will be provided by Evans and Miller Funeral Home in Poteau.
Services will be 10 AM, Thursday, December
20, 2018 at First Baptist Church, Poteau.
The family will be at the funeral home on Wednesday, December 19, 2018
from 5-7 PM to visit with relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
the charity of choice.
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