Eliza Merle Day

8/1/1939 ~ 3/6/2019

Eliza Merle Day died March 6, 2019, after suffering a recurrence of cancer. She was 79. The second child, and only daughter, of Alvin Delroy Day and Lemira Rawlinson Day, Merle was born in Fairview, Utah, and spent her childhood years in Eureka, Calif., and several small Utah towns.
Merle graduated from Provo High School in 1957 and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Utah State University in 1968. She attended graduate school at the University of Texas in Austin, completing her Ph.D. in zoology in 1990. Merle worked in genetic research for several years, first at the M.D. Anderson cancer research center and then at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. After moving back to Utah in 1996, Merle taught science at Jordan High School in the Salt Lake City area for 11 years before retiring in 2007.
Merle moved to the Portland area in 2013. She loved the arts, music and dance, especially, ballet, and had a particular passion for quilting. She belonged to the Mt. Hood Quilt Guild, and several of her quilts won ribbons at local shows. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She is survived by her brother, Nathan Day of Los Gatos, California; and four children: son, Russell Batty (Trice) of West Jordan, Utah; daughter, Colleen Schaelling (Philip) of Springfield, Virginia; sons, Philip Odom (Arianne) of Portland, Oregon and Joel Odom (Carrie) of Milwaukie, Oregon; and five grandchildren: Deborah and Elisabeth Schaelling; Emerson and Del Odom; and Elinor Sperry-Odom.
A memorial service will be held beginning at 12:30 pm, Saturday, May 18th 2019, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel at 131 East 100 North in Fairview, Utah; to be followed by a graveside service at the Fairview Cemetery at 2:30 pm.