Naomi Merchant Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Naomi (Nan) Turner Merchant passed away Sunday, July 23, 2017 in Hot Springs. Nan was born January 7, 1930 to John Marion and Nannie Lee Hill Turner in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her family moved to Hot Springs when she was 9 months old. She graduated from Hot Springs High School, attended the University of Central Arkansas, and later, the University of Houston and Houston Community College. She moved to Houston as a young girl and met and married her husband there. They both worked and raised their son in Houston. She retired to her home town of Hot Springs in 1990 and rejoined her childhood church, Oaklawn United Methodist Church, where she became an active member of the Mary Clifton Sunday School class and the Wednesday Bible study. Nan and a good friend, because of their interest and encouragement in the building of the Family Life Center, became chairpersons while in the planning stage of the project. Inspired by her artist mother, Nan learned the basic of oil painting as a small child. This remained a lifelong passion and she enjoyed a few lessons and produced a few paintings over the years, but for the most part, it was put on hold until retirement. She became very active in the arts community in Hot Springs and was a member of the Artist Workshop Gallery for almost 24 years. She had a special feeling for downtown and her painting interest were mainly of the old buildings and landmarks of Hot Springs and the National Park. Although Nan considered her work just a hobby, she sold many paintings over the years and many are in private and corporate collections around the county, including the permanent collection in the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, First United Methodist Church, Hot Springs, Garland County Court House and many other historic buildings. She also studied art at the National Park Community College and took workshops from many local and national fine artist. Nan was a member of the Fine Arts Center of Hot Springs and the Traditional Art Guild, started in 1963. Another of Nan’s foremost interest was the Garland County Historical Society where she spent many hours working on the files of historical facts about Garland County. Nan was predeceased by her parents; husband, Jack E. Merchant; sisters, Marguerite Turner Johnson (Ralph), Betty Sue Turner Evans (Robert), Frances Lee Turner Westerman (Norman), and special friend, Art Wellinger. She is survived by her son Jack Merchant and friend Cree of Grand Junction, Colorado; nieces, Bobbie Sue McKelvey (Michael) of San Diego, California and Kathi Frieberg (Brad) of Fayetteville, Arkansas; nephews, Gilbert Lee Evans of Los Angeles and Eric Westermann of Dallas, Texas. Also surviving are great nieces and nephews, cousins, her church family and many friends. Services will be held 10:00 A.M. Saturday, August 26, 2017 at Oaklawn Methodist Church, burial at Memorial Gardens Date and time to be announced

Naomi Merchant

January 7, 1930 - July 23, 2017