Mary Agnes Merkerson
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RAEFORD - RAEFORD - Mary Agnes (Bell) Merkerson, 78, passed away Tuesday, September 1, 2020, with her family by her side in Raeford, North Carolina.
She was born to the late John Henry and Mary Hulda Bell, May 17, 1942, in Rocky Mount, NC. Mary, affectionately known as "Aggie" or "Agnes," was a woman of substance, and had a noble heart. She attended Annie W. Holland Elementary School and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Rocky Mount. She continued her education in teaching at Fayetteville State Teachers College in Fayetteville; she attended Berkeley Business School in Hicksville, NY, graduated in 1982.
Mary held a variety of job positions upon moving to New York. She was a domestic worker in Long Beach, NY; she worked in the Long Beach Public School System, Long Beach Public Library, she was an Avon Representative for several years, and she worked at National Arbitration and Mediation in Garden City, NY.
She was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1970 and has been a faithful servant for 50 years. Mary enjoyed attending meetings, assemblies, and conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses. She also enjoyed in-depth bible discussions and studying the bible.
Mary loved painting, sewing, crocheting, cooking, and baking, gardening, writing poetry, singing Kingdom melodies, listening to jazz, and Rhythm & Blues music. She cherished spending time with her family.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents John Henry and Mary Hulda (Bridges) Bell; her brothers, Lee Hoyt Bell, Paul Bell, George Ralph Bell; sisters, Mildred Inez (Bell) Battle (brother-in-law, Lee Battle), Louise Florence (Bell) Jones; and her loving husband, Alonzo Charles Merkerson Sr.
Mary is survived by her loving brother, John Henry Bell Jr.(sister-in-law, Jessie Mae Bell) of Fayetteville; sister-in-law, Helen Marie Jenkins of Reading, PA; her daughter, Cassandra Rogers (son-in-law, Wayne Rogers) of Raleigh; her son, Alonzo Charles Merkerson Jr. of Lynbrook, NY (daughter-in-law, Lahoma Merkerson); her daughter, Natasha Nurse of Long Beach, NY (son-in-law, Tyrone Nurse); her daughter, Shrifa Merkerson of Brooklyn, NY; her granddaughters, Chanisse Ashley Verette of Raleigh and Brittany Nicole Nurse of Long Beach, NY; her great-granddaughters, Zanaria Lindorus and Vaniese Marlonz Hart of Raleigh, and a host of nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, September 12th, 2020, at Rogers and Breece Funeral Home, 500 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville, NC at 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. prior to the funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial to immediately follow at Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery, 2881 Gillespie Street, Fayetteville, NC.