Merrilyn Green was my first student when I taught voice and vocal technique. She was a high school kid, Middleton High, and she worked for the kitchen and dining service at Caldwell Memorial Hospital.
One day a week she would drive the few blocks from the hospital to my house on West Hazel and we'd work on music. She had a good voice, just needed to learn how to use it--and to trust me that I knew what she needed to do.
Merrilyn grew up, went to Ricks College, got her RN, and invited me to come over to Rexburg for her graduation. I went.
When she married Mike Jefferies, I sang at the reception.
Mike was in the military, so they traveled, lived in NY and Alaska, and I don't know where else, eventually coming back to Middleton, where they built themselves a lovely home.
I attended the reception of their oldest son, Jeff there. (I know. That means he's Jeff Jefferies.) That's quite several years ago.
Soon after Wayne died, Merrilyn came and got me and we went down to Women's Conference 2003.
Last year I went out to Middleton to the reception of her daughter . . . name has slipped my mind. And also last year I went down to bountiful to the wedding of her daughter, Sarah.
In between, I helped Merrilyn (only a little) raise money so she could go to Zambia and work with Mothers Without Borders. I have worked with Mike and Merrilyn on their stake musical productions, have met most of her children, got to know her daughter Jenny quite well by working with her on her singing parts on the musicals.
I have had dinner at their house, attended their ward a time or two, got to know Mike's Mom while she lived there with her ever-progressing Alzheimer's disease. Merrilyn was always very good and kind to her. For me it was inspiring to see how she cared for "Mom."
Beyond that, I have somehow managed never to go on the motorcycle ride Merrilyn has wanted to take me on for about four years now. Actually, I sort of have wanted to go. Sort of.
Yes, she has a motorcycle. A few years ago she and Mike and a couple of friends took a motorcycle tour of the western part of the US, stopping at several LDS temples, which was their plan.
I don't know where all she has worked as a nurse, but for the last many years she has been the school nurse in the Middleton School District. She just retired last year. She'll be 60 December of this year but looks 40. Mike is probably 63 or 65 and looks 62. It's true.
So now she and Mike are going on a mission to Zimbabwe. They leave in less than two weeks. I saw her last week and told her I was happy for them but that I would miss her. She and Mike both told me to come with them. This was actually before I said I would miss her.
I also told her I had recently seen her mom and dad.
This is the part about her dad.
I told Merrilyn her folks looked good. She agreed, then told me her dad, at 91, has a job. I said Wow, what is it? She said, "He's a driver for Hertz rental cars." I think I said Wow again. And I meant it. She said, "Last week he went up to Hailey and drove a car down for them. That's what he does."
I think Merrilyn's like that. She'll probably have a job when she's 91.
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