Caroline M. Merrill, retired nurse and daycare assistant, and fourth-oldest Pennsylvanian, has died at 110
Her age, energy, and endearing personality made her a local celebrity, and she was featured in many interviews about her long life and times in Ardmore.
Caroline M. Merrill, 110, of Ardmore, a retired nurse and daycare assistant and an exercise enthusiast who was celebrated as the oldest resident of Montgomery County and fourth-oldest Pennsylvanian, died Saturday, March 29, of age-associated issues at her home in Ardmore House.
Mrs. Merrill’s age, energy, and endearing personality made her a local celebrity, and she appeared for years in TV, newspaper, and video interviews, sharing her thoughts on long life and her times in Ardmore. She was featured in a 2024 Inquirer project called “Ask a Centenarian” when she was 109, a 2021 Main Line Times feature story when she was 106, and in other outlets on other 100-plus birthdays.
Her 110th birthday last Oct. 29 was covered in half a dozen news reports, and State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti celebrated with a Senate citation, saying: “Ms. Merrill is a unique member of our community who embodies positive aging in Lower Merion.” She was the oldest person at the Center for Positive Aging of Lower Merion, oldest auxiliary member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Montford Point Marine Association, and oldest fitness fanatic at Ardmore House.
She graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1934 and worked for 20 years as a licensed practical nurse and later for 10 years as a daycare assistant at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Ardmore Avenue. She told stories over the years of family and friends who passed away, and spoke about the racism and segregation she endured.
In 2013, she helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moment of Integration at the old Ardmore Avenue elementary school. She told The Inquirer in 2024 that the fundamentals for a healthy long life were to “eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and drink plenty of water. Do what the doctor says. Laugh as much as you can. Enjoy music and keep a song in your head. Stay in touch with family and friends. Enjoy each day God has blessed you.”
» READ MORE: Ask a Centenarian
Caroline Mary Bessex was born Oct. 29, 1914, into one of the first Black families to live in Lower Merion. She sang alto in the high school chorus and with an all-girl a cappella group.
She said in a 2013 video with a Lower Merion student that she was good at spelling and not so good at math, and got into trouble at school mostly by talking to friends during class. She chuckled at a senior yearbook entry that highlighted her “dignified grace” and “unruffled air of serenity.”
She married Charles Merrill in 1940, and they had a daughter, Carol, and a son, David, and lived near her childhood home in Ardmore. Her husband died in 2000, and she moved full circle to an apartment in Ardmore House, formerly her elementary school building, in 2014.
Mrs. Merrill was a lifelong member of Zion Baptist Church of Ardmore, and she sang in the choir for more than six decades. She was also an auxiliary member of American Legion Post 547 and marched in dozens of Memorial Day parades.
“Don’t carry it too far. I don’t know what too far is, but just act normal.”
She liked to dance, cook, bake, crochet, and sip apple martinis. She traveled to California, Texas, Illinois, Belgium, and Spain over the last decade, and you could tell she was around, her daughter said, when you heard that laugh. “She could start a conversation with anyone,” her daughter said.
She was always singing or humming, and her favorite songs were “One in a Million You” by Graham Central Station and George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” She said in 2013 she was “elated” when Barack Obama was elected president.
Her favorite sayings were “I’m still kicking, just not as high,” and “Old age ain’t for sissies.” She said in 2013: “Motivate yourself with what you want to do with your life.”
At the Center for Positive Aging, they called her Sweet Caroline. “She believed in never saying ‘I can’t do something,’ ” her daughter said. “She was always trying.”
In 2024, Mrs. Merrill said: “I love every moment. So I’m very happy. Just don’t worry. I don’t worry. I turn it over to the Lord.”
In addition to her children, Mrs. Merrill is survived by three grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and other relatives. A brother and three sisters died earlier.
Visitation with the family is to be from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, at Zion Baptist Church of Ardmore, 219 W. Spring Ave., Ardmore, Pa. 19003. A celebration of her life is to follow at 7 p.m.
Donations in her name may be made to the Center for Positive Aging in Lower Merion, 122 Ardmore Ave., Ardmore, Pa. 19003.