Elizabeth "Betty" Margaret (Goodband) Merrill, 101, of Marblehead, MA, died peacefully on July 27 ^th , 2021 at Kaplan Family Hospice House after a brief decline in health.

Betty was born in Ottawa, Canada to George and Agnes (McConachie) Goodband on August 15, 1919. In 1922, her family moved to Newton Centre, MA where they took ownership of a riding stable and boarded polo ponies for Myopia Hunt Club. Among many of Betty's jobs on the farm she gave riding lessons to the students from Mt. Ida College.

After graduation from Newton High School, Betty went to work in Boston. Always independent, Betty was the first of her friends to get her driver's license and buy a car. When she was in her early twenties Betty met her future husband, Frank Merrill, of Marblehead at a friend's wedding. Betty later said they both looked across a crowded room at one another and it was "love at first sight."

When WWII broke out, Frank joined the Marines, delaying the couple's plans to marry. In 1944 after Frank served in the South Pacific, the couple married in Betty's family's front yard in Newton Centre under a pine tree. Betty and Frank moved to Boston and later settled in Frank's hometown of Marblehead where they raised their three children. The couple celebrated 68 years of marriage before Frank's passing in February 2013.

Betty worked as a bookkeeper throughout her career, starting off at US Gypsum in Boston. After moving to Marblehead, she worked as the office manager for Marblehead Builder's Supply, formerly Scott Wood Products, and managed the North Shore office of Labor Pool/Interim Services, a temporary help agency.

Not being one to sit idle, Betty worked long past the age of retirement and took a job at Harbor Sweets candy shop when she was in her eighties. Betty loved to knit and volunteered with Penny Bear Company, knitting teddy bear sweaters to give those in need of comfort. She also knit woolen prayer shawls for the church fair and helmet liners for the soldiers in Afghanistan. Knitting gave Betty a reason to stay busy well into her nineties and exemplified her warm and caring nature, whether she was knitting a sweater for a new baby or a scarf for someone in need.

In 2019, Betty celebrated her 100 ^th birthday surrounded by friends and family who gathered from across the country to celebrate with her. She attributed her longevity to an active lifestyle and healthy appetite with her favorite meals including lobster rolls, fried clams and baked haddock.

Betty will be remembered for her kind heart, warm smile and delicious Toll House chocolate chip cookies. She was unstoppable up until the very end and is an inspiration to those whose lives she touched throughout the course of her life.

Betty's greatest joy was spending time with her family. She is survived by her children Richard Merrill and his wife, Lisa Merrill, of Sarasota, FL and Gail (Merrill) Kobialka and her husband, Michael Kobialka, of Marblehead, MA; son-in-law Richard Gambino, of Falls Church, VA; grandchildren Matthew Fogelgren (Kim), Jennifer Gambino, Jon Gambino, Nick Gambino (Callie), Lesley (Merrill) Collins (Clayton), Steven Jones (Elizabeth); and great-grandchildren, Ben Fogelgren, Will Fogelgren, Sam Fogelgren, Francesca Gambino, Brooklyn Gambino, Claire Collins, Catherine Collins, William Collins, Jack Jones and Olivia Jones and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Betty was predeceased by her husband, Frank Merrill, brothers Drs. Clifford Goodband and Gordon Goodband, daughter Joan (Merrill) Gambino and grandson, Michael Kobialka III.

A private burial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kaplan Family Hospice House, 78 Liberty Street Danvers, MA 01923, or charity of choice.