Lona Jean (Cone) Merrill

May 20, 1932 - January 29, 2022

Lona Jean (Cone) Merrill was born May 20, 1932 in Hot Springs, S.D. and died January 29, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Lona was born to Rufus and Jeannette Cone; little sister to brothers D.E. and Blaine. When she was 3, the family moved by rail livestock car to western Washington state. For 10 years, the family moved to various locations with their dairy goats-Centralia, Chehalis, Snoqualmie Falls and Tenino. She loved that time spent with her close cousins and the baby goats.

When Lona was 13, the family returned to the hills and the Box J ranch on Argyle Road. In her later teen years, she moved into Hot Springs with her grandmother and worked at the Hot Springs newspaper, Sisters hospital and the Hi-Lo grocery. She and Wayne Merrill started dating when she was 16, he 17. They married in 1951 and bought acreage from Wayne's dad on Argyle Rd. Lona resided there in the dream home he built for her even after Wayne's death in 2007. In 2016, dementia proved too formidable a foe, and she was moved to memory care, briefly in Hot Springs, then to Fort Worth.

During her life, she and Wayne raised Hereford cattle and three children. They took care of countless horses and her parents. She was a full time mother until the youngest started first grade. She worked at a local dentist office and many years at the VA until she and Wayne bought the Montgomery Ward catalog store and later changed it to Merrill West, a western clothing, boot and tack store.

In addition to the hobby of horse showing, she tooled leather goods, fantastically decorated cakes for her family, was a self taught wonderful cook and baker and in her later years loved her dogs, Kodi and Lucy.

Lona was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, a sister-in-law, two nieces, a son-in-law and her husband of 56 years. She is survived by her children, Deb Powell of Hot Springs; Rod (Janine) Merrill of Stanford, Mont., and Shari (John) Merrill-Cattaneo of Fort Worth, Texas. Granddaughters, Vonna (Bryan) Laue of Winchester, Va.; Jordan (Justin) Wetzel of Washington, DC and grandson, Aaron Merrill of Rapid City and several great grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held 6:00 p.m., Friday, May 20, 2022 at Chamberlain McColley's Funeral Home in Hot Springs, SD.

Lona would be thrilled if donations to a dog or horse rescue of your choice was made in memory of her.