Merlene Joy Berg passed from this life surrounded by loved ones on June 30, 2024 at St. Francis South Hospital in Tulsa.
She was born on August 11, 1951 in Cherokee, OK to Merle and Velera (Koehn) Berg. After her family moved to Blackwell, she started school at Union 61, later transitioning to the Blackwell school system. As a child, her summers were spent playing softball and going to the swimming pool with friends. She started her working life at the local movie theater, splitting time between there & the
drive-in. After graduating high school with the Class of ’69, she went to work for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith in downtown Oklahoma City. Upon returning to Kay County, she started a 29 year career with Conoco in Ponca City. She and Billy Denison were married in 1982, and from their union came one daughter. She later moved to Tulsa and went to work for Williams & Williams where she was employed at the time of her death.
Merlene enjoyed being around family, cooking, reading and listening to music, attending numerous concerts throughout the years, most recently the Eagles, her favorite band. She really loved getting together for a potluck and watching her beloved Oklahoma Sooners play football & softball She was a member of Life Church, Tulsa campus, where she made many friends, joining several ladies for book club.
She is survived by daughter Erin Wise (Jason) of Tulsa, son Tom Rowland (Erika) of Salt Lake City, Utah, sister Denice Sawyer (Gary) of Blackwell, five grand children, granddaughters Gracie and Kieri Wise of Tulsa, Tawni Rowland Ahrlich (Carl) and Savanah Rowland, grandson Casey Rowland, and several nieces, nephews and cousins. She is also survived by “The Tribe”, her close circle of friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Jerry Gibson of Ponca City and Gary Gibson of Tulsa, and close friend & “Tribe” member Sandy McEnany.
A celebration of life is planned for August 10, 1:30 PM at the Carolyn Renfro Event Center in Ponca City.
