Merilyn Louise Woolstenhulme passed away peacefully on May 17, 2022 in Lancaster, CA. Merilyn was born the only child of William Wald and Eleanor Knauf on April 4, 1932 in Riesel, TX. She grew up on her grandfather’s farm in Riesel before moving to Newhall, CA in 1945. She attended Hart High School and was a member of the first graduating class in 1949. She married in 1950, and raised five children while working at Thatcher Glass. In 1981, she moved to Taylorsville, UT and worked for Utah Power and Light Company until she retired in 1995. She returned to California in 2015.
Whether she was taking pictures at National Parks or spending time in her garden in Utah, Merilyn loved being outdoors. She was a member of the Salt Lake Master Gardener Association and grew hundreds of plants in her yard. She would often test her memory by reciting the common and Latin names of each plant, only forgetting five at most. She also enjoyed travelling and made frequent trips to visit her children, grandchildren, and extended family members.
Merilyn is survived by her five children, Garth Woolstenhulme, G. David Woolstenhulme, Susan Diem, Laurie Jacobs, and Kelly Woolstenhulme; twelve grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Merilyn will be laid to rest—beside her mother—at 10 a.m. on June 10, 2022 at Eternal Valley Memorial Park, 23287 Sierra Highway Newhall CA 91321.
