Adeline Merrill Obituary

Adeline Godfrey Pringle Merrill CHERAW, SC - Adeline Godfrey Pringle Merrill passed away on July 15, 2014. Mrs. Merrill was born in 1919 in Cheraw, SC, the third of four daughters of Samuel Gillespie Godfrey and Lucille Burroughs Godfrey. She graduated from Converse College in 1941 with a degree in music. As a young child in Cheraw she had a reputation for being a tomboy, but was really known for being very sweet. All through her life she was renowned for her kindness and generosity, love of friends and family, always thinking of others and entertaining them in true southern style. Adeline was one of the first licensed tour guides in downtown Charleston. In 1941 she married Walter Pringle III of Charleston. She was widowed with five children when Mr. Pringle died of cancer in 1956. In 1959 she married Dr. Walter Merrill, a professor of English. They moved to Wichita and then to Philadelphia in 1969. Mrs. Merrill returned to Charleston in 1987. She was a world traveler and an avid historian and writer. A great part of her writing projects included a series of history books, including A Personal History of F. G. Burroughs Family (1997), All In One Southern Family (1996, in two volumes) and Sherman in Cheraw, a compilation of firsthand accounts of Sherman's occupation there during the Civil War. Mrs. Merrill was actively involved in supporting numerous civic organizations in Charleston, Wichita, and Philadelphia. In Charleston these included the Preservation Society of Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Charleston Concert Association, the Colonial Dames of South Carolina, and the Junior League of Charleston. She was also a member of St. Philips Church. She is survived by two sons, Walter Pringle IV (Marsha) of Mt. Pleasant, SC and Dr. Peyre Pringle (Mary) of Isle of Palms, SC; two daughters, Dr. Adeline Merrill (Gary) of Ridgefield, CT and Dr. Margaret Latshaw (Mark) of Parkville, MO; five grandchildren, and five great- grandsons. She was predeceased by her son, Gillespie Godfrey Pringle and her sisters Esther Dargan, Lucille Quattlebaum, and Eleanor Bruno. A graveside service will be held at Lakeside Cemetery in Conway, SC on September 13th at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. David's Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 1196, Cheraw, SC 29520, or The Preservation Society of Charleston, 147 King St., Charleston, SC 29401. A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston