Ruth M. Merrifield

Ruth M. Merrifield passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 26, 2026.

Ruth was born in San Francisco, California, to Louis and Josephine Schoenstein. She married Irvin Merrifield on October 29, 1949, and they later moved to Irvin’s hometown of Durham, California. Together, they lived in several towns across the Sacramento Valley and raised six children: Caren Svejda (1950), Jodi Barnett (1952), Beth Mullins (1955), Mike Merrifield (1956), Pat Merrifield (1960), and Tim Merrifield (1964).

Irvin passed away in 2010 after 60 years of marriage. Over the course of her life, Ruth was blessed with 13 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.