Phyllis Ann (Smith) Merrill passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, at Bayhealth Sussex Campus in Lincoln.
She was born on Feb. 26, 1951, in Indiana and raised in both Ellendale and Seaford by her father Edward Smith and mother, Bernice Smith. She was a 1969 graduate of Seaford High School. Soon after graduation she married and had one child, a daughter in 1971.
Phyllis worked several jobs while supporting herself and her daughter but mostly enjoyed her time employed at Halpern Eye Associates in Dover. She later remarried in 1993 to Dennis Merrill of Milford. Phyllis had strong beliefs in following family traditions, researching her family heritage, the respect and care of heirlooms, and above all else she loved creating memories with her family. She was also known for her love of animals and her passionate belief in animal adoption.
She is survived by her husband, Dennis Merrill; her daughter, Michelle Hudson; two sisters, Joan King and Christine Wolfe; her three brothers, Glenn Smith, Curt Foraker and Eddie Foraker; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Family, friends, and others whose lives Phyllis touched are invited to her party of life to be announced at a future date.
Arrangements are in the care of Short Funeral Services, Milton.