Mrs. Joan Dawn Merck passed away in the late evening hours of Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at her home in Kingsland surrounded by her devoted family. She was 88 years old.
Mrs. Merck was born on June 19, 1931, in Folkston to the late William and Natalie Patterson Colson. If there was ever an image of a true Southern lady, Dawn was it. She greeted everyone she encountered with a warm smile. She was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. Dawn celebrated 72 wonderful years of marriage with her loving husband, Walter. She was a sweet caring soul who cherished her family more than anything in this world. She will be missed greatly by everyone who knew and loved her.
Mrs. Merck is survived by her beloved husband, Walter C. Merck of Kingsland; her children, Lisa Dawn (Raymond) Browning and Steven C. (Sally) Merck, all of Kingsland; her grandchildren, Ivy D Merck (Michael) Burns, Lilly C. Merck, Chad E. (Stephanie) Merck, Rachel Sirmon and Michael Browning; and her great-grandchildren, Hunter and Brooke Sirmon, Haylie and Blake Browning, Landon and Bryson Merck and Ailsa Burns.
Along with her parents, Mrs. Merck joins her sisters, Gloria Jean Colson Davis, LaVerne Colson Kerry, Lejuana Colson Bruce and Delores Colson on Heaven’s golden shore.
A visitation will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, in Coastal Camden Funeral Home. Graveside services will follow at noon in Oakwell Cemetery on Clark’s Bluff Road in Kingsland with E. Bruce Vaughn, the senior pastor of Kingsland First United Methodist Church to preside over the service. Chad Merck, Michael Browning, Lee Cofield, Hunter Sirmon, Edward Bruce and Michael Burns will serve as pallbearers.
Coastal Camden Funeral Home in Kingsland is entrusted with Mrs. Merck’s arrangements.