Shrewsbury – Merilyn A. (Salerno) Miller, 67, of Shrewsbury, passed away on Feb. 13, 2021, following a valiant struggle with dementia. She was born in Worcester and grew up in Shrewsbury.
Merilyn is survived by her loving husband, Philip J. Miller; two sons, Matthew J. Kallio and his fiancé Kara Banfill and David A. Miller, both of Shrewsbury; a daughter, Karen Kallio Loftus and her husband William of Worcester; her mother, Virginia (Leroy) Salerno of Shrewsbury; her daughter-in-law, Susan Aboody-Kallio; a brother, Leonard Salerno and his wife Debra of San Antonio, Texas; a sister, Karen Kelsey and her husband Steven of Shrewsbury; her sister-in-law, Jane Salerno of Holden; four grandchildren, Jacinthia Kallio, Wayne Aboody-Kallio, Ava Aboody-Kallio, and Gianna Kallio; and nieces and nephews. Merilyn was predeceased by a son, Wayne Kallio, in March 2020; by her father, Leonard Salerno in 2017; and by her brother, Gary Salerno, in 2018.
Merilyn was a Shrewsbury High School graduate, later graduating from Rob Roy Academy, and was a licensed master barber and worked for many years at D’Iorio’s in Worcester. She drove a school bus and had also worked many years for All State Insurance.
Merilyn loved nature and practiced horticulture and gardening at Pine Ridge Farm for many years and attended the Danforth Plant Science Center to better her knowledge of plants and gardening. She loved the ocean and beautiful beaches; she found great comfort and joy on Block Island and shared her love of the island with her husband Phil and is where they married.
A service for Merilyn will be held Monday, Feb. 22, at 10:30 a.m. in Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, 370 Plantation St., Worcester. A time to visit with her family will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m., immediately before the service. The service will be live streamed beginning at 10:25 a.m. and can be viewed by visiting the funeral home web site, then selecting Live Services. COVID protocols will be practiced at the funeral home; this includes the use of a face mask and social distancing.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to The National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation, Inc, Promoting Research & Supporting Families, by visiting https://nnpdf.org.
