Merry Nell Simon

Merry Nell Simon, 82, passed away on Monday, June 23, 2025 surrounded by her immediate family in Henderson, Nevada.

Merry Nell Ferguson was born in Highland Park, Michigan on December 9th of 1942. She was born to parents Helen Garbet and Smith Ferguson. They spelled her first name “Merry” as the doctors projected she would arrive on Christmas Day.

Merry Nell (and her little brother Peter) spent her early childhood in Highland Park which she was greatly proud of her entire lifetime. The family lived on Beresford Street; a stone’s throw away from Ford Motor Company’s Model T factory where the assembly line was born. Sherman Tanks and farm tractors were built there during Merry’s early childhood. Merry’s grandfather worked in that Highland Park facility for 30 years. Every payday since Merry’s birth, he would put $.25 in her piggy bank. Her grandmother owned and ran a grocery store on Manchester Avenue. Merry’s grandmother also provided English Language lessons to newly-arrived immigrants at the revered MacGregor Public Library located on Woodward Avenue in Highland Park.

Merry Nell’s father, on the meantime, served in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division battling his way “Up the boot of Italy” starting at Anzio Beach and culminating at the front door of the Vatican.

Merry Nell was proud of all these events and of Highland Park. Merry Nell told the story many times of receiving a solid public education (Her 3 R’s were excellent; reading, writing, and arithmetic), modern swimming pools in all the schools to include her elementary school, efficient street cars, and avenues cleaned and maintained by sanitation workers decked out in white work uniforms manning wheeled trash cans and push brooms.

In the 1950s, Merry found herself in Garden City, Michigan. Her teenage years were spent listening to Elvis Presley records, practicing “Duck and Cover” drills at school, admiring beautiful automobiles, and completing high school.

As she grew into adulthood, she sold cosmetics at Hudson’s Department store, attended beautician school, got married, moved to Detroit’s East Side, and had her first two children.

Merry Nell also cultivated many friendships. The deepest relationships that would last her entire lifetime was with Martha Steinhebel and Judy Block. Their friendship evolved into a bond that is everlasting. Together, as they all grew through adulthood, they experienced road trips, joys and laughter, some trials and tears, lots of garage sales and thrift stores, and everything else under the sun. They helped each other with all that could be imagined to include helping each other’s children, sharing life’s joys and lifting each other when challenges arrived.

When Merry Nell had to set out on her own with her two young children, Judy and Martha were there for her.

Merry Nell continued to work as a beautician and providing for her children.

Along the way, Merry Nell met the love of her life in Donald P Simon. In time, they were married on May 10th, 1969. They moved into their first house in Warren, Michigan. Soon after, Merry and Donald were blessed with two more children. (Scott and Shawn).

Merry attended nursing school. Passing her classes and exams, she earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification and went to work at a number of hospitals and nursing homes.

Merry Nell shared life with Don, worked as a nurse, continued to cut hair on the side, raised four children, and made more friendships along the way.

They moved to Mt. Clemens, Michigan and eventually moved to Henderson, Nevada in 1988.

Merry gained a foothold in their new community, worked as a nurse for Clark County and a nursing home, made even more wonderful friends and continued to enjoy her many friendships back in Michigan.

Merry returned to Michigan during the summers mostly in Cheboygan, Michigan. She maintained their cottage in Michigan, made a habit of walking across the Mackinac Bridge every Labor Day, and enjoyed Michigan’s beauty.

In between sharing life with Don both in Nevada and Michigan, she tended to her family, worked as a nurse and enjoyed her many passions.

She played blackjack, cruised for garage sales, investigated thrift stores for small treasures, and rooted on her favorite hockey teams (Red Wings and Golden Knights).

Her deep love for NHL hockey began back in the 1950s. Her grandma and aunt instructed her to keep the whiskey and cigarettes coming as they fought over and argued who had the best team (Red Wings or Maple Leafs).

Merry Nell was instrumental in her grandson Tristen’s upbringing. She and Don provided for him before and after school, assisted Shawn as needed during his childhood, and lovingly cared for his every step.

Merry Nell made it a practice to take Tristen to Michigan every summer. Together, she and Tristen attended car shows, enjoyed the cottage near Cheboygan, visited friends and family, checked out museums, admired Michigan’s natural beauty, to included her favorite love of Lake Huron, shared their love for their country, and most probably tasted lots of good foods and sweets.

All of those memories were recorded by Merry Nell while Tristen was deployed to Iraq when he joined the U.S. Airforce years later. She wrote 1 memory for every day Tristen was in Iraq. That book was given to Tristen upon his safe return to the United States.

Merry Nell shared wisdom with all of her children. She also devoted more of her time to helping military veterans. This included attending Don’s annual reunion with the 7th Engineers Support Battalion out of the 1st Marine Division, which is who Don served with in Vietnam.

Merry attended dozens of military funerals at the National Cemetery in Boulder City. Most particularly, she attended the ceremonies for Veterans who were being put to rest without any family or friends present. Merry deeply believed those veterans needed someone to acknowledge their service to our country.

Merry also held memory of her grandmother helping new immigrants. Being a proud member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), she used that avenue with the local DAR Chapter in assisting newly sworn in U.S. Citizens at the courthouse. Merry and her DAR “sisters” were instrumental in welcoming immigrants now becoming Americans.

Merry Nell and Donald P. Simon were married for 56 years. Their love has expanded to 8 grandchildren and a growing crop of great-grandchildren.

She set an example to her children in the practices of gaining meaningful employment, self-reliance, honest work, service to others, and recognizing the value in everyone you meet no matter what the “cover” of their book looked like.

She performed this duty to her children in humor, clarity, sincerity, and in wisdom.

Merry Nell lived a life filled with joy and wonder. She dedicated her energy and abilities to make life better, a little bit better, one step at a time, for those who would follow in her footsteps.

That was her dream her entire life. Our lives are better because of her. She asks that we help make the lives of those who will follow in our footsteps even better.

Merry Nell Ferguson Simon is now with those who proceeded her. Yet, she continues to live on in all of us. She continues to bring us laughter and wisdom all the while bringing us hope and wonder. Her leaving this earthly plane might bring you a tear of sadness; yet, look into the eyes of those who were blessed to be her child, grandchild, a family member or a dear friend, and you will understand she lives on in each of us.

Merry Nell Simon is survived by her husband Donald P. Simon, children Scott, Shawn, Chris, and Tim and an ever-growing number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also survived by many, many relatives and dear friends that are all family.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 at 10:30 am at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 1900 Veteran’s Memorial Drive, Boulder City, Nevada. For those not able to physically attend, a live stream will be available via our Facebook page. The service will also be recorded and uploaded to Merry's obituary page.

A gathering afterwards with appetizers for fellowship, sharing a memory, a tear, a joy, a celebration of Merry Nell’s Life, will be at Boulder Creek Golf Club at 1501 Veteran’s Memorial Drive in Boulder City from 12-2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, if you choose, donations can be sent to:

-The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy Preservation Work.

·Where Merry’s light will always shine upon The Great Lakes.

-DAR Chapter

·Old Spanish Trail DAR Memo in memory of Merry Simon.

-Or, attend a veteran’s interment ceremony to honor and acknowledge their service to our great country especially if the veteran has no family present. That will surely get a smile of Merry from above.