- Date Of Birth: December 18, 1924
- Date Of Death: April 24, 2010
- State: New Mexico
Merle Brown, 85 passed away on April 24, 2010. Merle was born in Richton, Perry County, Mississippi on December 18, 1924.
She spent her childhood on a farm with her parents George A and Sarah Newell. She graduated in 1943 after which she was pursued by a young soldier, Walter A. Joe Burchfield, whom she met prior to his deployment to Europe in World War II. They were married shortly after his return and moved to Roswell, New Mexico, Walker Army Air Field, which later became Walker Air Force Base with the arrival of B36 aircraft. Merle became a military wife and followed her husband to Selma, Alabama at Craig Air Force Base, and Savannah Georgia at Hunter Air Force Base.
By 1949, they had three children. In 1954, the family moved to Rhein Main Air Force Base, in Frankfurt, Germany where they lived for three years then requested to return to Walker Air Force Base in Roswell where they planned to eventually retire.
In 1963, Merle and Joe built their retirement home where they were active in their childrens school activities, sports, parents organizations and their church. Merle was a homemaker for most of her married years until the children were grown. At age 43, she was accepted into nursing school. Some of her happiest memories were working the surgical floor at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center. She loved her patients and they loved her. She was respected by the doctors, hospital staff, and fellow nurses.
In 1978, she was widowed and return to Mississippi to be near her parents and her special needs child whom she referred to as her Angel Unaware.
After Merles father passed away, she moved her mother into her home where she cared for her for ten years. Merle is preceded in death by W.A. Burchfield, father of her children, her husband Sidney L. Brown, parents George A. and Sarah BlackNewell, her two younger sisters, Joyce BurchfieldSanderson, and June NewellBrown, a daughter Mary Ann Burchfield, and nephews George Edward Burchfield and Michael Sanderson.
In October of 2005, Merle moved from Biloxi, Mississippi back to Roswell, New Mexico following Hurricane Katrina to be near her daughter and family. Merle quickly became a member of Berrendo Baptist Church where she could be found every Sunday and became involved in every aspect of her neighborhood church. She made new friends and loved her new neighbors, sharing cooking, gardening and chatting on the patio.
Upon loss of her eyesight and general health decline, she could no longer drive and she moved into an assisted living retirement home in June 2009 where she lived until she passed from this earthly life. She will be sorely misses by all her loved ones and friends.
She is survived by a daughter, Sue BurchfieldSmith, and her husband Dr. Robert Smith, her son Harry J. Burchfield and wife Kim of Carson City, Nevada Granddaughter: Melissa SmithWilliams and her children, Landen, Truett, and Ava Grace of Prosper, Texas grandsons, Robert Smith, II of Phoenix, Arizona, Jevan Burchfield of Reno, Nevada and Caedron Burchfield of Brooklyn, New York, and a special niece Joyce Cissy BurchfieldPlummer and husband C.M. Plummer, III of Biloxi, Mississippi.
The family will receive guests from 47 P.M.
