Obituary from Holman Funeral Home of Ozark – Ozark, Alabama
Merle Grantham Baker, age 87, of Ozark, Alabama, was born on March 29, 1939, in Ariton, Alabama. On July 8, 2026, finished her race well and stepped into heaven, with her two daughters and son-in-law, Michael, by her side.
Funeral services for Mrs. Baker will be 11:00 A.M. Friday, July 10, 2026, at Midway Assembly of God Church with Reverend Michael Senn officiating. Interment will follow in Ariton Cemetery, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends in the church Friday from 10:00 A.M. until service until service time.
Merle now rejoices in heaven with her beloved husband of 70 years, Dwight Baker, her best friend, her partner in faith, and the love of her life. Together they proved that a marriage built on Christ can weather any storm and shine for generations. Their 70-year marriage was a testimony: of faithfulness, of prayer, of choosing each other and choosing God, every single day. She also embraces again her parents, Paul and Gertie Mae Grantham; her sisters, Willie Mae Bowman, Annette Danner, and Carolyn Edmondson; and her brothers, Don Grantham and Ronnie Grantham. Whom she loved & missed very much. Her legacy lives on in those she loved most: her daughters, Syretha Carter (Wayne) and Sheryl Senn (Michael). They were her heart and her dearest friends. She also leaves behind her loving sister, Deborah Sanders. She was a proud and loving Nanny to Matthew Senn (Carole), Kala Mock (Kaleb), Kyle Pauley, Micah Senn (Riley), and Anna Dixon (Josh). She deeply cherished her great-grandchildren: Eleanor Senn, Halle Carroll, Sunny Carroll, MaKayla Dixon, Kove Mock, and Chipper Mock. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her most valued treasures. Each one held a special place in her heart and brought her immeasurable joy. They were the light in her eyes. The reason she smiled through pain. Every name was etched on her heart, and every life brought her overflowing happiness. To be loved by Nanny was to know extreme love. you were safe, you were important, you knew you were her everything! She was “Nanny” in every sense of the word. Nothing lit up Merle’s face like her family.
For many years she led in retail as a manager and district manager, not because she loved sales, but because she loved people, really loved them. Her co-workers didn’t just respect her, they cherished her. She was a boss with work boots on. She led with grace, with humility, and with hands that were always reaching out to help.
Co-workers called her the best “boss lady” they’d ever known, because she led from the front. She never asked of others what she wouldn’t do herself. She showed up with kindness, and in doing so, she showed them Jesus. She later served at Walter Hand Ford in Ozark and at Dale Medical Center, always with the same servant’s heart.
In her final season, Merle’s eyes were set on heaven. Her greatest longing was to see her Savior face to face. And after Dwight went home, her heart had a yearning to be with him again, forever. That prayer has been answered. The wait is over. The reunion is eternal.
We grieve, yes. But we grieve with hope. Because Merle ran her race with perseverance, she kept the faith. We miss her with a hurt that has no words. But we would not wish her back, not from that peace, not from that joy. Because we know, without a single doubt, that Nanny heard what she lived her whole life to hear: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21
Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made in her memory to Midway Assembly of God, P.O. Box 608, Midland City, Alabama 36350.
Condolences may be expressed at www.HolmanFuneralHome.com
