THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608180029
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 23 lines
Ray Wilford Merchant, 82, of the 1000 block of Cedar Forest Drive, died Aug. 17, 1996, in a Norfolk hospital.
A native of Lawtons, N.Y., Mr. Merchant was a former owner of Merchant Service Company and a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Virginia Beach.
Survivors include his wife, Jean Brown Merchant; three daughters, Gail Slaughenhaupt and Karen Button, both of Virginia Beach and Robin Shaffer of Chesapeake; a son, George S. Merchant of Upper Marlboro, Md.; 22 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; and a nephew, Michael Brown of Hamburg, N.Y. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Betty McCance.
A funeral will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Tabernacle Baptist Church by Dr. Rod Bell. The family will receive friends at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. and at the residence at all other times. Memorial contributions should be made to the Tree of Life Fund of Tabernacle Baptist Church. Graham Funeral Home, South Norfolk Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB