Mary Merle Jenkins Share, 84, passed away February 18, 2025, at her home in Inverness, Florida.
Merle was born June 12, 1940, in Daytona Beach, Florida, to Odell Jenkins and Mary Alice Kittrell Jenkins. Merle’s mother died when she was 4 years old and she was raised by her loving aunt and uncle, Marjorie and James Day. She then grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, until age 17, where she was an honor student. She loved sports. She enjoyed roller skating every weekend and played on the girls’ basketball team at school. The family moved back to Daytona Beach, where she graduated from Mainland High School in 1958.
Shortly thereafter, she married her sweetheart, Martin N. Share, and they became the parents of three daughters. They eventually settled in Central Florida, where Merle often helped Marty with his thriving swimming pool construction business. They celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary before Marty’s passing in 2020.
Merle was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved serving in the church, especially teaching children’s classes. She developed a great passion for genealogy and finding connections to her ancestors. She was a good cook and seamstress, thanks to her aunt’s influence. She also enjoyed painting, especially coastal landscapes and flowers.
She had a great sense of humor and enjoyed playing practical jokes and making people laugh. She loved books and was such a speed reader that it was often a challenge to find books at the library she hadn’t read.
She loved the beach and searching for seashells and sand dollars. She knew the names of nearly every shell in the world. She was known for making beautiful Christmas ornaments and gifts from shells, and for her dolls from around the world ornaments.
In retirement, she worked at the voting precincts during elections. She also loved to travel and go on adventures with Marty, making numerous trips to Marty’s native England and other places during their later years.
Merle was preceded in death by her husband; parents and stepmother, Daphine Jenkins; her aunt and uncle who raised her; half-sister Rita George; and half-brother Sidney Jenkins. She is survived by her daughters: Vicki (Robert) Albretsen, Loganville, GA; Karen (Clifford) Ellis, Inverness, FL; and Gail (Derek) Berge, Mount Dora, FL; 15 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; her brother, Daniel “Buddy” Jenkins, Bell, FL; half-siblings Bonnie Davis; Donita Long; and Danny Jenkins.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 12:00 PM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern Street, Lecanto, FL. Burial will follow at the Fero Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 5955 N. Lecanto Highway, Beverly Hills, FL. Arrangements are under the direction of the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home, Inverness, FL.
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