- Date Of Birth: May 8, 1926
- Date Of Death: February 24, 2016
- State: Michigan
Myrtle was born on May 8, 1926 to Soren and Ingeborg (Bolstad) Heried, who both passed away when Myrtle was a little girl. She spent her childhood and early adulthood in Wisconsin. On June 5, 1948 she was united in marriage to Dr. Lee O. Baker, until his death in 1982. She attended WMU studying Elementary Education. In 1988 she was married to Cecil F. Kerr until his death in 2010. Also preceded in death by her son, Scott; her daughter, Sarah; brothers, Albon, Rudolph, Arnold, Berent and Oscar.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Mark) Baker Harrison; granddaughter, Christina ( Matthew ) Briede, grandson, Lee Harrison; Cecil’s children, Ron Kerr, Larry Kerr, Nancy (Mark) Cool; grandchildren, Ami, Alexa and Eric; special sister-in-law, Ona Belle Heried; and several beloved nieces and nephews. Myrtle was proud of her Norwegian heritage. She enjoyed the beauty of nature, watching birds, and tending her beautiful gardens. She also enjoyed golfing, was an avid bridge player and was a longtime collecter of beautiful antiques.
Her greatest joy was time spent with her grandchildren. Always a gracious hostess, Myrtle was happy to welcome family, friends and WMU students into her home. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Western Michigan University Dames, P.E.O. Chapter Q, Sons of Norway Askeladden Lodge 5-60 and the Kalamazoo Garden Council.
A special thank you to the all the employees of New Friends in Kalamazoo and to Hospice of Southwestern Michigan, who took care of “Miss Myrtle” during her illness. Private interment took place in Mt. Ever-Rest Memorial Park North.
