Heather Cobie Merkle

Heather was born on July 31, 1972, to Nancy and Bob Cobie (1941-2021) in Dearborn, Michigan. At a young age, the family moved to Alamo, CA, where Heather made lifelong friends as she grew up in “the golden hills” of California’s San Francisco East Bay area. Prior to her starting high school, Heather’s family relocated to Ohio, where Heather attended Bellefontaine High School. As a Chieftain, Heather excelled academically, enjoyed being Bellfontaine’s “California Girl” and dabbled in comedy/horror film cinematography with her neighborhood friends. Fortunately, she also discovered her talent for and love of Cross Country running. She won many meets over her four-year career and qualified for the Ohio High School State Championship her sophomore and senior years.

Heather then set her sights on Miami University and a degree in Education. During her four years in Oxford, Heather became a sister in Kappa Delta Sorority, graduated Cum Laude from the School of Education and made the fateful decision to go on a second date with her future husband, Rob, after a “questionable” movie choice for their first date could have derailed what became a 32+ year love affair.

Heather and Rob married in June 1995. Heather started teaching fourth grade the following fall. To quote her principal from that time, “She was dedicated to doing great things for her students and families and will be remembered for expertise and excellence towards her profession. She positively touched so many children and families! Great person, outstanding educator!” As a testament to her drive for excellence, in just her third year of teaching, Heather received the “Golden Shamrock,” Dublin Schools’ top award for excellence in education. And while accomplishing all this, she also earned her Master of Arts in Education from The Ohio State University.

When a promotion for Rob led them to Phoenix, Heather decided to try something different and went to work for Charles Schwab as a stockbroker, and in her usual fashion, passed the Series 7 exam in short order with high marks. However, on their return to Ohio, Heather was called back to the classroom, where she continued to positively impact students until after the birth of her twin sons, Ethan and Evan in 2005. After a final year in the classroom, Heather knew her family should be her full-time occupation.

Heather was a devoted mother, focusing her many talents on raising her boys and finding opportunities for them to learn and grow. She was also an excellent cook and baker and was always searching for great new recipes to try, a trait she picked up from her mother and especially her grandmother. A meticulous, diligent travel planner and researcher, the family benefited greatly from Heather’s legendary Google Docs itineraries that laid out every stop, sight, top restaurant and attraction for each step of a trip, whether it be to Disney World, National Parks out west, Spring Break in Florida, or cruises to Alaska, the Mediterranean, Panama Canal and various other destinations around the world. She loved to travel and experience new places and foods. There are thousands of happy memories, but her reaction and face when she was handed a three-toed sloth to hold when visiting Roatan Island, Honduras may have been the most priceless moment ever.

After her diagnosis, Heather became passionate about raising awareness of ALS and raising funds for ALS causes. In 2023, she bravely testified in front of the Ohio State Budget Committee to advocate for adding millions of dollars to the state budget for the ALS United organization. Her team, “Heather’s Heroes,” raised thousands of dollars for the annual ALS walks and she shared her powerful story of how she stayed positive throughout the course of her disease as the keynote presentation for last spring’s ALS United Gala event that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars more for the group. Despite her progressing symptoms, Heather kept a positive attitude and a desire to live life that never wavered.

Heather’s gorgeous smile was the first thing anybody noticed when they met her and quite often couldn’t stop themselves from mentioning out loud. Even on some of her worst days, that smile would shine through. And after meeting her, people were even more drawn to her and wanted to be her friend. Her positivity and determination to not let negative thoughts or feelings get in her way amazed everyone. She was beautiful, inside and out, and will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved her.

Heather is survived by her adoring husband, Rob; her sons, Ethan and Evan; her loving mother, Nancy Cobie; her sister, Jennifer Sliwak (Tad); her niece, Megan Pollock; her niece and nephew, Avery Sliwak and Alexis Sliwak; and her sister-in-law, Jennifer Pollock (Bill). She will also be greatly missed by dear friends Beth and Jonathan Wilch.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, at Schoedinger Dublin, 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017, followed by visitation from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

As Heather prioritized being positive and finding joy in life, the family asks that you do the same – go out and do something that brings you real joy and share it with those around you.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to:

• https://www.glittergirlsguild.org

o The glitter girls guild aims to glitter families in the Dublin, Ohio, community who have been directly impacted by an ongoing medical hardship that requires intensive medical attention and/or prolonged recovery.

• https://alsohio.org

o ALS United Ohio relentlessly pursues its mission to help people living with ALS and to leave no stone unturned in the search for a cure for this progressive neurodegenerative disease.