Averil H. Merritt

Averil H. Merritt, 90, of Mason City, passed away Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at her home surrounded by her loving family. A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 11 a.m. at First Covenant Church, 411 S Ohio Ave., with Pastor Steve Johnson officiating. A visitation will be held on Sunday, July 5, 2026, from 3 p.m.to 5 p.m. at the church. Interment will be held at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery. To watch Averil's service, click here: Averil's Service

Memorials may be directed to the Environmental Defense Fund or Operation Christmas Child.

On October 29, 1935, Averil Hartley Mosher made her debut into the world. Farming heritage ran deep in her family history. At the tender age of seven, she lost her mother to cancer. Averil and her sister, Joan, went to live with their Aunt Francis and Uncle Moiney. They lived in a home built in 1839 with no running water and walked about a mile each day to attend country school.

Averil was active in 4-H and competed regularly at county and regional fairs throughout southeast Iowa, exhibiting Holstein cows while wearing the traditional black pants and white shirt to match them. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School and went on to study Child Development at Iowa State University with the help of a 4-H scholarship. While attending Iowa State, she met Carlyle. Averil graduated in 1957 with a degree in Early Childhood Development and accepted a position as director of Civic League Nursery in Rochester, Minnesota.

Carlyle and Averil were married on October 12, 1958. Moving became the theme of their early years together, taking them to Sigourney; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Mechanicsville; Keota; Johnson Creek, Wisconsin; Sioux City; and eventually Mason City. In Sioux City, Averil founded Perry Creek Pre-School, where she and her lifelong friends worked side by side doing what they loved. After moving to Mason City, she created another circle of lifelong friendships while founding River City Pre-School.

While Merritt Computer Service operated out of the family basement, Averil was instrumental in raising her grandchildren. As they grew older and started school, she became the first friendly voice callers heard when they phoned the company.

Averil had many gifts and talents, and she used them generously to serve others. She had the voice of a mouse and the courage of a bear. She volunteered with the newly formed North Iowa Hospice, where she shared her compassion and faith with strangers who often became dear friends. She loved music and played the pump organ. She faithfully sent cards, visited those who could no longer get out, and prepared meals and baked goods as her way of showing love. Her faith, her compassion, and her cinnamon rolls are what Averil will be remembered for.

On July 1, 2026, Averil skipped out of her earthly home, singing "Down by the River" as she sprang into the open arms of Jesus Christ. She was preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Justine (Hartley) Mosher; her sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Gene Berkland; and her brother, Norval Mosher.

Those left to cherish her warm and caring memory are her loving husband, Carlyle Merritt; her children, Erin (Tim) Jantsch and Eric (Brenda) Merritt; her grandchildren, Jacob (Jessica) Jantsch, Jonathan (Alicia) Jantsch, Anna (Daniel) Jantsch-Doerr, Sarah (Isaac Palshan) Jantsch, Parker (Holly) Merritt, and Morgan (Mark) Dykstra; and her great-grandchildren, Elliot, Robert, Jackson, Matilda, Elias, Louisa, Averil, Dirk, Thys, and Kirsten.