Lyndall Ruth Mertz

Lyndall R. Mertz, 80, of Arden Hills, Minnesota, passed away Tuesday, September 10, 2024. She died peacefully with family by her side. Lyn was born August 21, 1944, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and grew up in nearby Stuttgart, where her father farmed rice and many members of her extended family lived. She graduated from Stuttgart High School and, later, from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma, where she met her husband Paul. They married in 1966, and in 1969 they settled in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Professionally, Lyn dedicated herself to teaching, adding a master's degree in early childhood special education in the 1980s. She spent the majority of her 40-year career teaching kindergarten in Stevens Point Area Public Schools. She loved her students and had a special place in her heart for those with special needs. She delighted in innovating how to engage all students, collecting nature materials for science lessons, and leading music time as she played the piano. What Lyn's family loves most about her was her perpetual zest for life. This showed through her many talents -music, art, sewing, cooking-and her curiosity for learning about people and new places. She was especially proud of the traveling she and Paul enjoyed together in midlife. She had many unique adventures bicycling in Europe and helping Paul lead university students on two semester abroad trips to London. Even most recently, she was finding great joy in her new community at Round Lake Senior Living in Arden Hills. From childhood, Lyn developed a strong faith and believed in using her talents in support of her church. She was active in Frame Memorial Presbyterian Church in Stevens Point, and, more recently, Presbyterian Church of the Way in Shoreview, Minnesota. Above all, Lyn valued family. She encouraged responsibility and independence in her children, and she showed by example how even in times of adversity, persistence and positivity would lead to brighter times. We are grateful for her ever-present love and support, and we will miss her cheerful smile, the ways she made us laugh, and how she always had a song for every occasion. Lyn was preceded in death by her husband Paul; her parents, Earnest and Marguerite Kauffman; and her youngest brother, Kevin. She is survived by her brother, Dean Kauffman, of Palm Springs; as well as her children, Mary (Tom) Carney, of Shoreview, and Paul Eric (Amy) Mertz, Jr., of Lincolnshire, Illinois; sisters-in-law, Janet Mertz, of San Antonio, and Paula Mertz, of Socorro, New Mexico; niece, Andrea (Raymond) Gurrola, of Albuquerque; and her three beloved grandchildren, Christopher Mertz, and River and Rose Carney. Visitation will be 12 p.m. on Monday, September 16, at Presbyterian Church of the Way, 3382 Lexington Ave. N, Shoreview, MN 55126, with a funeral service at 1 p.m. and refreshments to follow. Memorials to Presbyterian Church of the Way or to the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf of Mounds View, Minnesota, are much appreciated.

Tributes

Lyndall Ruth Mertz

August 21, 1944 - September 10, 2024

Tributes

Lyndall Ruth Mertz

August 21, 1944 - September 10, 2024

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