Merilyn B. Reeves, June 22, 1931–October 7, 2022
Governor Tom McCall once famously said, "Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say: This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better." No one exemplified that spirit better than Merilyn. It is a rare person indeed who can match her track record.
On October 7, Merilyn B. Reeves passed away peacefully at home in her own bed, just like the way most of us would like to go.
Oregon land use activists know her as the fiery, tenacious redhead who seemed to always have the right words at the right time, whether at an LCDC meeting, a local land use hearing, or a strategic planning retreat.
Few know of her long, impressive involvement on the larger national and regional stage. Her path from Idaho farm girl to Amity, Oregon, produced a resume that few can equal. Born on a farm near Burley, Idaho, in the midst of the Great Depression, Merilyn met her future husband Henry (Milt) Reeves at a freshman dance at the Utah State Agricultural College. Since then, wherever they lived, she picked up the torch and made her mark:
In South Dakota, with the National Audubon Society. In Maryland, with the State Hazardous Substance Advisory Council. As national vice-chair for the League of Women Voters, she lobbied Congress on the landmark environmental legislation of the 1970s. The Governor of Maryland even appointed her “Admiral of Chesapeake Bay” for her “extraordinary commitment to its conservation and restoration.”
After moving to Yamhill County in the 1980s, she could have enjoyed a quieter life. But Merilyn would not slow down. She helped found Friends of Yamhill County, served eight years as its president, and later served as its land use chair. She fought tirelessly to protect Yamhill County farm and forestland from rural residential sprawl, earning the respect and admiration of friends, foes, and county planning staff. Merilyn represented environmental interests on the Resources Department Groundwater Advisory Board. She chaired the Hanford Advisory Board for six years. The list goes on and on.
In March of 2020, the Oregon League of Women Voters met on the cusp of pandemic shutdowns to honor their 100th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote. Merilyn gave her final public speech when the Oregon League of Women Voters presented her with the Carrie Chapman Catt Award in recognition of her lifetime of advocacy for voting rights.
She somehow found time to raise four children, and canned and froze the bounty from her vegetable garden well into her eighties. You can read her fascinating memoir at Merilyn Reeves by PatPal – Issuu.
The family suggests that memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Yamhill County, P.O. Box 1083, McMinnville, Oregon 97128, or to the Quinney Natural Resources Library, 5260 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5200.
We at 1000 Friends salute Merilyn Reeves. We are honored to have counted you as a member and for your inspiring example of an everyday Oregon hero.
