Jane Merit Blythe
June 25, 1938 ~ August 8, 2017
Jane Merit Blythe (née Janice Kay Davis), age 79, died peacefully surrounded by family at Brightview Woodburn Senior Living on August 8, 2017 in Annandale, VA of Alzheimer’s disease.
Merit is survived by her daughter Kristan Beck, son-in-law Silver E. Dohmen and grandson Alejandro D. Beck-Sosa of Vienna, VA; her son Mustafa A.W. Beck, wife Ayesha Eusoof, grandson Aashiq Q. Beck and granddaughter Alia Q. Beck, of Singapore. She is preceded in death by her father, John Otis Davis; mother, Darlene Coker Davis of Macomb, IL and her brother Donald Eugene Davis of Chicago, IL.
Merit was born on June 25, 1938 near Macomb, Illinois. She attended Western Illinois University and received a two year degree in medical technology. Years later she attended the University of Michigan where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies in 1981, and a Masters of Arts in Library Science (MLS) in 1986. In 1959 she married Theodore R. Beck and moved to the Chicago area where she pursued a career as a medical technologist. In 1970 the family moved to Michigan; she later divorced in 1977. After obtaining her MLS, Merit became a librarian, turning her lifelong passion for books into a career. She worked as a reference librarian at Rochester Hills Public Library in Rochester, MI, and, after moving to Northern Virginia in 1996, at Alexandria Public Library until her retirement in 2012. In addition to being an avid reader, Merit loved learning about distant cultures and spending time with her family.
A funeral service is scheduled for 2:00pm (visitation from 1 – 2pm), August 25th, 2017 at Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, VA with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Merit’s life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Insight Memory Care Center in Fairfax, VA, (www.insightmmcc.org) or Capital Caring Hospice, (www.capitalcaring.org).
Merit is survived by her daughter Kristan Beck, son-in-law Silver E. Dohmen and grandson Alejandro D. Beck-Sosa of Vienna, VA; her son Mustafa A.W. Beck, wife Ayesha Eusoof, grandson Aashiq Q. Beck and granddaughter Alia Q. Beck, of Singapore. She is preceded in death by her father, John Otis Davis; mother, Darlene Coker Davis of Macomb, IL and her brother Donald Eugene Davis of Chicago, IL.
Merit was born on June 25, 1938 near Macomb, Illinois. She attended Western Illinois University and received a two year degree in medical technology. Years later she attended the University of Michigan where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Near Eastern Studies in 1981, and a Masters of Arts in Library Science (MLS) in 1986. In 1959 she married Theodore R. Beck and moved to the Chicago area where she pursued a career as a medical technologist. In 1970 the family moved to Michigan; she later divorced in 1977. After obtaining her MLS, Merit became a librarian, turning her lifelong passion for books into a career. She worked as a reference librarian at Rochester Hills Public Library in Rochester, MI, and, after moving to Northern Virginia in 1996, at Alexandria Public Library until her retirement in 2012. In addition to being an avid reader, Merit loved learning about distant cultures and spending time with her family.
A funeral service is scheduled for 2:00pm (visitation from 1 – 2pm), August 25th, 2017 at Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, VA with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Merit’s life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Insight Memory Care Center in Fairfax, VA, (www.insightmmcc.org) or Capital Caring Hospice, (www.capitalcaring.org).
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle