Merry Bell Dankers was born August 1, 1965 in St. Paul to James and Patricia (Powell) Rapp. She was raised in Ogilvie and graduated from Ogilvie High School, Class of 1983. Merry married Wayne Dankers on October 23, 1987 in Goodhue, Minnesota. They made their home in Goodhue for four years before moving to Bradford in rural Cambridge.
Merry was an excellent caregiver and took care of her grandparents, other relatives and many children. She drove the van for special needs children in Cambridge. Merry and Wayne owned and operated a convenience store in Isanti, the Phillips 66 station, for a few years. In 2009 they moved back to Goodhue and she began working at a nursing home. This was a big part of her life and she enjoyed it very much. She worked in the activities department. She loved all the residents! Another part of her life is that she became a grandmother one year ago to Isla. This was a dream come true to her and she enjoyed every moment of being a grandma to ‘Peanut.’ She recently moved to Kalispell, Montana. Besides her family activities, Merry loved her animals and enjoyed doing crafts.
Merry died at a friend’s home in Isanti on March 16, 2015 at the age of 49 years. She is survived by her husband, Wayne of Kalispell, MT; daughter, Lea (Burak) Metin of San Jose, CA; son, Ross (Sara) Dankers of Kalispell, MT; granddaughter, Isla Dankers; sister, Lynn (Arlen) Diercks of Red Wing; two brothers, Mark (Sara) Rapp of Princeton, Mike (Gwen) Rapp of Cambridge; and many other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Goodhue. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 20th at the church. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of Strike Funeral Home – Isanti, 763-444-5212.
strikefuneral.com