Early Life: Nyal was born August 5, 1926, in Lewisville, Idaho, to Newton Leslie and Zina Alberta Allen Andrus. She was raised in Lyman, Idaho, where she worked on the family farm, learning the value of hard work. She often talked about growing up during the Great Depression. She graduated from high school in Lyman and moved to Salt Lake City to attend LDS Business College for one year and then the University of Utah for two years.
Life's Work/Service/Interests: When Nyal decided to serve an LDS mission, she moved back to Idaho where she attended Ricks College while she prepared and waited for her mission call. At the age of 21, she was called to serve in the Central States LDS Mission, the first of four missions she would complete during her lifetime in the service of the Lord, whom she loved. It was during her first mission, she would meet a fellow missionary, a chance encounter that would turn out to be her future husband and father of her children, Charles Burdell Merrell. She must have left quite the impression on him because after completing his mission six months before Nyal, he returned home and waited for her to return. In his words, he “courted her” until he got her to say yes, but not before he asked permission from her father. They were married March 16, 1951, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and began a long life together, raising eight children, followed by serving three missions together as a couple. They were thrilled to be of service to the people of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Anaheim, California. Raising eight children was no easy task. Because of her husband's work in the government, the family lived several years in third world countries, where two of her children were born. She was frequently left alone to manage eight young, and often unruly children, while he fulfilled his governmental duties. Occasionally, she would sarcastically say to her adult children, “When you have your eight children, you’ll see just how easy it is.” Her children have discussed numerous times how we have no idea how she managed to do it. She was frequently teased by her children at her inability to throw anything away. She certainly knew how to stretch the value of a dollar—cooking home cooked meals each day, sending her kids to school with a healthy lunch, and frequently sewing many of the outfits she and her children would wear. If being a mother of eight did not occupy enough of her time, she was also a devoted servant and disciple. She was very active in the LDS Church and never let an opportunity pass her by to be of service to others, from Cub Scout leader to mission pianist to Relief Society presidency to temple worker to singing in the choir. After a long day of household chores and child wrangling, she would often sit at the piano late at night and plunk out her alto part so she would be prepared for Sunday’s choir performance. She incredibly fulfilled her other roles in life as well, such as devoted wife, adoring grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as caring daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and neighbor. In the end, while Alzheimer’s took its toll on her mind, those who knew her knew she had the most kind and gentle soul. Her family is comforted in knowing she is now free of her earthly body and can now serve, love, and watch over her family and friends without limitation. Nyal Andrus Merrell, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, passed away quietly in her sleep on October 24, 2016, at Cove Point Assisted Living facility in Provo, Utah, at age 90.
Family Message: "Mother has touched each of our lives with her amazing spirit, and her influence will be felt for generations to come. We love her more than words can express. Our hearts will have an empty spot until that wonderful day when we can see her once again and gaze into her loving eyes."
Survived By: Six of her eight children: Durk, Jacki, Blair, Stuart, Quinn and Barry; grandchildren; great-grandchildren and many more that love her dearly.
Preceded In Death By: Her loving husband; two of her children: Kevin and Kendra; her parents; two brothers and two sisters. As she got older and her health declined, she did not fear death; rather, she looked forward to a joyous family reunion she would have.
Services: Graveside service
Burial: Orem City Cemetery
Original obituary published by:
© Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary | October 2016.
Bio compiled by: Annie Duckett Hundley
Life's Work/Service/Interests: When Nyal decided to serve an LDS mission, she moved back to Idaho where she attended Ricks College while she prepared and waited for her mission call. At the age of 21, she was called to serve in the Central States LDS Mission, the first of four missions she would complete during her lifetime in the service of the Lord, whom she loved. It was during her first mission, she would meet a fellow missionary, a chance encounter that would turn out to be her future husband and father of her children, Charles Burdell Merrell. She must have left quite the impression on him because after completing his mission six months before Nyal, he returned home and waited for her to return. In his words, he “courted her” until he got her to say yes, but not before he asked permission from her father. They were married March 16, 1951, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and began a long life together, raising eight children, followed by serving three missions together as a couple. They were thrilled to be of service to the people of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Anaheim, California. Raising eight children was no easy task. Because of her husband's work in the government, the family lived several years in third world countries, where two of her children were born. She was frequently left alone to manage eight young, and often unruly children, while he fulfilled his governmental duties. Occasionally, she would sarcastically say to her adult children, “When you have your eight children, you’ll see just how easy it is.” Her children have discussed numerous times how we have no idea how she managed to do it. She was frequently teased by her children at her inability to throw anything away. She certainly knew how to stretch the value of a dollar—cooking home cooked meals each day, sending her kids to school with a healthy lunch, and frequently sewing many of the outfits she and her children would wear. If being a mother of eight did not occupy enough of her time, she was also a devoted servant and disciple. She was very active in the LDS Church and never let an opportunity pass her by to be of service to others, from Cub Scout leader to mission pianist to Relief Society presidency to temple worker to singing in the choir. After a long day of household chores and child wrangling, she would often sit at the piano late at night and plunk out her alto part so she would be prepared for Sunday’s choir performance. She incredibly fulfilled her other roles in life as well, such as devoted wife, adoring grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as caring daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and neighbor. In the end, while Alzheimer’s took its toll on her mind, those who knew her knew she had the most kind and gentle soul. Her family is comforted in knowing she is now free of her earthly body and can now serve, love, and watch over her family and friends without limitation. Nyal Andrus Merrell, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, passed away quietly in her sleep on October 24, 2016, at Cove Point Assisted Living facility in Provo, Utah, at age 90.
Family Message: "Mother has touched each of our lives with her amazing spirit, and her influence will be felt for generations to come. We love her more than words can express. Our hearts will have an empty spot until that wonderful day when we can see her once again and gaze into her loving eyes."
Survived By: Six of her eight children: Durk, Jacki, Blair, Stuart, Quinn and Barry; grandchildren; great-grandchildren and many more that love her dearly.
Preceded In Death By: Her loving husband; two of her children: Kevin and Kendra; her parents; two brothers and two sisters. As she got older and her health declined, she did not fear death; rather, she looked forward to a joyous family reunion she would have.
Services: Graveside service
Burial: Orem City Cemetery
Original obituary published by:
© Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary | October 2016.
Bio compiled by: Annie Duckett Hundley
Early Life: Nyal was born August 5, 1926, in Lewisville, Idaho, to Newton Leslie and Zina Alberta Allen Andrus. She was raised in Lyman, Idaho, where she worked on the family farm, learning the value of hard work. She often talked about growing up during the Great Depression. She graduated from high school in Lyman and moved to Salt Lake City to attend LDS Business College for one year and then the University of Utah for two years.
Life's Work/Service/Interests: When Nyal decided to serve an LDS mission, she moved back to Idaho where she attended Ricks College while she prepared and waited for her mission call. At the age of 21, she was called to serve in the Central States LDS Mission, the first of four missions she would complete during her lifetime in the service of the Lord, whom she loved. It was during her first mission, she would meet a fellow missionary, a chance encounter that would turn out to be her future husband and father of her children, Charles Burdell Merrell. She must have left quite the impression on him because after completing his mission six months before Nyal, he returned home and waited for her to return. In his words, he “courted her” until he got her to say yes, but not before he asked permission from her father. They were married March 16, 1951, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and began a long life together, raising eight children, followed by serving three missions together as a couple. They were thrilled to be of service to the people of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Anaheim, California. Raising eight children was no easy task. Because of her husband's work in the government, the family lived several years in third world countries, where two of her children were born. She was frequently left alone to manage eight young, and often unruly children, while he fulfilled his governmental duties. Occasionally, she would sarcastically say to her adult children, “When you have your eight children, you’ll see just how easy it is.” Her children have discussed numerous times how we have no idea how she managed to do it. She was frequently teased by her children at her inability to throw anything away. She certainly knew how to stretch the value of a dollar—cooking home cooked meals each day, sending her kids to school with a healthy lunch, and frequently sewing many of the outfits she and her children would wear. If being a mother of eight did not occupy enough of her time, she was also a devoted servant and disciple. She was very active in the LDS Church and never let an opportunity pass her by to be of service to others, from Cub Scout leader to mission pianist to Relief Society presidency to temple worker to singing in the choir. After a long day of household chores and child wrangling, she would often sit at the piano late at night and plunk out her alto part so she would be prepared for Sunday’s choir performance. She incredibly fulfilled her other roles in life as well, such as devoted wife, adoring grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as caring daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and neighbor. In the end, while Alzheimer’s took its toll on her mind, those who knew her knew she had the most kind and gentle soul. Her family is comforted in knowing she is now free of her earthly body and can now serve, love, and watch over her family and friends without limitation. Nyal Andrus Merrell, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, passed away quietly in her sleep on October 24, 2016, at Cove Point Assisted Living facility in Provo, Utah, at age 90.
Family Message: "Mother has touched each of our lives with her amazing spirit, and her influence will be felt for generations to come. We love her more than words can express. Our hearts will have an empty spot until that wonderful day when we can see her once again and gaze into her loving eyes."
Survived By: Six of her eight children: Durk, Jacki, Blair, Stuart, Quinn and Barry; grandchildren; great-grandchildren and many more that love her dearly.
Preceded In Death By: Her loving husband; two of her children: Kevin and Kendra; her parents; two brothers and two sisters. As she got older and her health declined, she did not fear death; rather, she looked forward to a joyous family reunion she would have.
Services: Graveside service
Burial: Orem City Cemetery
Original obituary published by:
© Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary | October 2016.
Bio compiled by: Annie Duckett Hundley
Life's Work/Service/Interests: When Nyal decided to serve an LDS mission, she moved back to Idaho where she attended Ricks College while she prepared and waited for her mission call. At the age of 21, she was called to serve in the Central States LDS Mission, the first of four missions she would complete during her lifetime in the service of the Lord, whom she loved. It was during her first mission, she would meet a fellow missionary, a chance encounter that would turn out to be her future husband and father of her children, Charles Burdell Merrell. She must have left quite the impression on him because after completing his mission six months before Nyal, he returned home and waited for her to return. In his words, he “courted her” until he got her to say yes, but not before he asked permission from her father. They were married March 16, 1951, in the Salt Lake LDS Temple and began a long life together, raising eight children, followed by serving three missions together as a couple. They were thrilled to be of service to the people of Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Anaheim, California. Raising eight children was no easy task. Because of her husband's work in the government, the family lived several years in third world countries, where two of her children were born. She was frequently left alone to manage eight young, and often unruly children, while he fulfilled his governmental duties. Occasionally, she would sarcastically say to her adult children, “When you have your eight children, you’ll see just how easy it is.” Her children have discussed numerous times how we have no idea how she managed to do it. She was frequently teased by her children at her inability to throw anything away. She certainly knew how to stretch the value of a dollar—cooking home cooked meals each day, sending her kids to school with a healthy lunch, and frequently sewing many of the outfits she and her children would wear. If being a mother of eight did not occupy enough of her time, she was also a devoted servant and disciple. She was very active in the LDS Church and never let an opportunity pass her by to be of service to others, from Cub Scout leader to mission pianist to Relief Society presidency to temple worker to singing in the choir. After a long day of household chores and child wrangling, she would often sit at the piano late at night and plunk out her alto part so she would be prepared for Sunday’s choir performance. She incredibly fulfilled her other roles in life as well, such as devoted wife, adoring grandmother and great-grandmother, as well as caring daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and neighbor. In the end, while Alzheimer’s took its toll on her mind, those who knew her knew she had the most kind and gentle soul. Her family is comforted in knowing she is now free of her earthly body and can now serve, love, and watch over her family and friends without limitation. Nyal Andrus Merrell, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, passed away quietly in her sleep on October 24, 2016, at Cove Point Assisted Living facility in Provo, Utah, at age 90.
Family Message: "Mother has touched each of our lives with her amazing spirit, and her influence will be felt for generations to come. We love her more than words can express. Our hearts will have an empty spot until that wonderful day when we can see her once again and gaze into her loving eyes."
Survived By: Six of her eight children: Durk, Jacki, Blair, Stuart, Quinn and Barry; grandchildren; great-grandchildren and many more that love her dearly.
Preceded In Death By: Her loving husband; two of her children: Kevin and Kendra; her parents; two brothers and two sisters. As she got older and her health declined, she did not fear death; rather, she looked forward to a joyous family reunion she would have.
Services: Graveside service
Burial: Orem City Cemetery
Original obituary published by:
© Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary | October 2016.
Bio compiled by: Annie Duckett Hundley
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