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August 02, 1934 Merlyce A. James

March 29, 2024

August 02, 1934 -- March 29, 2024

Merlyce A. James, Age:89

Merlyce James

Our mother, Merlyce James, was born on August 2,1934, to Elmer and Allyce Weber. A

brother, David, was born about 10 years later.

Merlyce grew up on Lowell Avenue in Chicago. She had a happy and content childhood

playing with her best friend, Georgia Blake, who lived down the street. She looked forward to

visiting her cousin, Buddy, who lived in a rural area.

As the years wentby, Merlyce worked as a secretary at Skilsaw, which is where she met her future husband,

Richard. Merlyce did modeling on the side during this time. Richard joined the Air Force

during the Korean War.

Once out of the service, Richard and Merlyce married and moved to a small apartment on

Kenrnore Street in Chicago. Richard worked as a salesman at Burhop Paper Company.

Vicky was born during this time. The family moved to 538 N. Broadway Avenue in Park

Ridge. Three years later Chris was born. About seven years later Jessica was born. Now

with three daughters, Merlyce always kept herself busy and well organized. She maintained

a routine around the house. The 1970s marked a time for branching out and entertaining

new friends at the house. Although reserved in nature, she expressed her love to us

through action.

During her life, Merlyce flourished as a homemaker. She immersed herself in many

projects, including sewing clothes for her children and draperies for the entire house. She

even taught herself how to reupholster furniture. She cooked wonderful meals for us and

collected many recipes. She even dabbled in the arts and crafts, teaching us her skills.

Merlyce enjoyed driving to garage sales, taking us along, and gleefully decorating the home

with her newfound treasures. As the years went by, her children married and moved out of

the house. She and Richard carried on with friends and family.

When Richard passed away in 2011, Merlyce cleared the home of clutter. During this

period, she gained independence and took on many new things. Although she lived alone

for 13 years, she was perfectly happy watching movies and hosting holiday events at her

home, until she could no longer do so. She will always be remembered for her strong

independent spirit up untiI the very end.

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