Ramona Eunice (Mork) Merritt

March 3, 1929 – November 6, 2023 

Ramona (Mona) Merritt died recently, from a fall, at the age of 94, while living at Raleigh Hills Assisted Living. 

Mona was the eldest of four children, siblings Iona (deceased), Vonnie (deceased), and Larry, born to Lauritz and Magnold Mork, eight months before the stock market crash of ‘29. She grew up on a farm in Watford City, North Dakota, and started school in a little two room schoolhouse a few miles from the farm. Eight years later, they headed west to live in Portland, Oregon, where opportunities were more plentiful for starting over. 

Mona attended Highland Grade School, now known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and went on to graduate from Jefferson High School in 1947. Mona enjoyed keeping in contact with several of her classmates from JHS over the years through monthly luncheons and living in the same retirement community at Russellville Park. 

Mona began her long career as a legal secretary for several attorneys immediately after graduation from JHS and then worked for the Oregon State Board of Medical Examiners from 1950-1952, when she left to raise her family. She returned in 1975 and stayed until retirement in 1991, as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director. Mona loved her job for the people she worked with and the challenges it presented. While she was involved in many things related to the governance of medical professionals in Oregon, the one thing that stood out was the introduction of acupuncture in the state. Her daughters remember watching a film their mom brought home to view that was being presented to the Board about surgical procedures using acupuncture. It was interesting but viewed through fingers over their faces! 

Mona met her future husband, John (Jack) Merritt in June, 1948, and married on March 19, 1949. They celebrated their 64thAnniversary before Jack passed away on June 13, 2013. Together they opened Merritt Microfilm Service Company in 1969 and sold it in 1986, when Jack retired. Mona, however, was not ready to retire just yet, and would hold out for another 5 years. They then embarked on a 4 month RV trip with 3 other couples, heading across Canada and down along east coast. They spent many years traveling around the U.S. until they sold the RV and settled into retirement at Russellville Park in 2004. 

Mona thoroughly loved being a stay-at-home mom in the 50s and 60s, and raising her two daughters, Gail and Jan. There were many memorable family trips to California to visit grandparents and to go to Disneyland. Mona was a planner so any time she could plan a BBQ with friends or holidays with family, she would.  

 Mona was very involved at the former Laurelhurst Presbyterian Church in Northeast Portland. She could be found tending to the roses in the church garden well into her 80’s. She and Jack were a part of a Mariners Group called Clipper Club that met once a month for over 50 years and celebrated birthdays, holidays, and worshiped together. She had fond memories of gift exchanges, Memorial Day picnics at Mt. Tabor, and RVing with many of these friends. 

Mona and Jack had two daughters, Gail Morris (John) and Jan Bosson (Steve); grandsons Steve and Greg Morris, Hunter Bosson and granddaughter Taylor Bosson; and great grandchildren Shane and Samarah Morris. 

Please join us for a Celebration of Life, scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, 2024, from 2-4pm, at Russellville Park Retirement Community, 20 SE 103rd Avenue.  A private internment with immediate family will occur earlier in the day.