SERVICE:  Sunday, May 17, 2026

Sweetwater Missionary Baptist Church

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

INTERMENT:  Sweetwater Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery

VISITATION:  Sunday, May 17, 2026

Sweetwater Missionary Baptist Church

3:00 p.m.

Services for Mrs. Catherine "Cathy" Merritt, age 72, of Leakesville, will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Sweetwater Missionary Baptist Church in Leakesville.  Mrs. Merritt passed from this life on May 13, 2026 in Leakesville.  Bro. Terry Smith and Bro. Jon Williamson will officiate the service and burial will follow in the church cemetery.  Serving as pallbearers will be Jackson Eubanks, Justin Skipper, Jeremy Skipper, Bryant Green, Brandon Lemay, and James Byrd.

Mrs. Cathy was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and faithful servant of her community and church.  She worked for many years as a contract painter before beginning her career as a 911 dispatcher with the Greene County Sheriff's Office, where she faithfully served for more than 12 years. She was also an active member of Sweetwater Missionary Baptist Church and lovingly played the piano there for many years, sharing her talent and faith with her church family.  Mrs. Cathy will be remembered for her kind heart, her dedication to helping others, her love for music and family, and the faith that guided her life. Her memory will forever live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donnis Merritt; daughter, Melissa Cherrelle; son, Jason Tillman; parents, Rev. Ezra and Bertha Mae Walley; sisters, Rachel Green, Francis Green, Helen Hicks, and Gail Freeman; and brothers, Harry Walley, Harold Walley, and Dale Walley.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her beloved grandchildren, Bryce (Haley) Tillman, Lakin (Jake) Stone, Dawson (Cadence) Tillman, Cooper Tillman, and Karter Williams; great-grandchildren, Caysen Zehner, Carter Zehner, Beckett Tillman, Elouise Tillman, Westyn McAlexander, and Sawyer Stone; stepchildren, Randall Merritt and Kelly (Vince) West; step-grandchildren, Chad Merritt, Leslie Dunnam, Chuck West, Cole West, Hayden West, Garrett West, and Conner West; sister, Margaret (Bubba) Skipper; a number of nieces and nephews and her longtime friend and caretaker, James Byrd.