Edna J. 'Merle' Greer
July 13, 1926-Nov. 15, 2023
Pleasanton, California
Submitted by Lori Greer
The family of Edna Janice "Merle" Greer are sad to announce her passing at the age of 97. She will be remembered for her strength and strong will, as well as her deep love of family. She will be sorely missed by all.
Merle passed away peacefully on November 15, 2023, after a brief period of health challenges.
Born in Gloster, Mississippi, to Dudley and Beatrice Byrd, on July 13, 1926, Merle was the eldest of four siblings. Her colorful life started here, where her father owned a small trucking company, hauling gravel. The family left Mississippi in 1941 with their beloved dog, Poochie, in a black Chevrolet, headed for California where Dudley would find work. Landing in Farmington, CA, for a short period, the family then spent a year in Sunol, while Dudley worked at Camp Parks in Dublin, and Merle attended Amador High School.
Sunnyside, Washington, was the family’s next stop for about 8 years, where Merle and her sister, Connie, graduated from high school. Merle met the love of her life, Frank Greer, while he was home on leave from Naval Service in World War II. After brief stops in Bridgeport and Scottsdale, AZ, the whole family finally settled in Pleasanton in 1952. It was here that Frank built their “custom” Jensen Tract home, where they would settle and spend the rest of their lives. Their only child, Michael Greer, was born in June that same year.
Merle and Frank were true soulmates and shared an adventurous life together. Merle was strong willed, and Frank was perfectly suited to her nature. Always active and looking for new things to do, their life in Pleasanton included square dancing, horseback riding, water-skiing, sailing and flying to many destinations in their private plane, for which Merle was also a licensed pilot. In line with her adventurous spirit, they acquired for Merle a sleek 1976 Jaguar XKE that she used for her commute to Hayward where she worked for the Alameda County Schools for over 20 years. She and a close friend, Muriel, also traveled to Canada in the Jag. Upon retirement, Merle & Frank and their lifelong friends chartered a boat and sailed the Greek Islands, then spent subsequent years roaming the west in their motorhomes, often spending several weeks at a time on the California coast, the Sierra Nevada and Arizona. Merle said goodbye to Frank when he passed away in 2012; they had been married 65 years.
As a loyal eldest daughter, Merle brought structure and steadfast devotion to her family. She was her mother’s best friend, going above and beyond for family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Will Greer, sister, Connie, and survived by her brothers, James Dale Byrd (Mary Gullikson) of San Francisco and Robert Byrd of Pleasanton. Her devotion continued through the next generations, as she loved and cared deeply for her son, Michael, and his three children, Nicole (Greer) Klein, Julia (Greer) Tohlen (Ben Tohlen) and Joel Greer. She was blessed with five grandchildren, Kiley, Kaitlyn, Zoey, Savana and Sawyer.
