Obituary of Dolly Mertin

MERTIN, D.L ‘Dolly’ River John It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Dolly Mertin on January 18, 2023. Dolly was born in New Glasgow, but made River John her home. She went on to graduate from West Pictou while also working at the River John Co-op, moving on to complete her Personal Care Workers Course. She worked in the healthcare field until leaving to start the family business with her husband, working hard to accomplish their goals of Eugene Mertin Foundations. While working alongside her husband she also raised her girls and volunteered her time with many different organizations including Pictou County Helpers, the River John Community Garden, and the River John Food Bank. Dolly was an incredibly hard worker but her favourite job has always been being a mom and recently, a grammy. She was the glue to the family and community, always lending a helping hand to anyone in need. She had a heart of gold. Dolly was well known for her door always being open to anyone in need of a cup of tea and a chat, or a shoulder to cry on. Dolly was never too busy for anyone, and always had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world. She was loved by so many, and we are so fortunate to have been able to be loved by her. Dolly most enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, whether it was dinners, coffee dates, shopping or simply just relaxing at home. She loved to show off her girls and her boys, often could be found flipping through her phone to show off pictures and share some stories. She leaves behind her true love and soul mate of 33 years, Eugene; her girls, Krista (Josh), Hannah (Kyle), Emily; her beloved boys, Nathan, Evan; parents, Greg and Paula Sutherland; mother-in-law, Linda Mertin; siblings, Fred (Lynn) Rockey, George (Cathy) Rockey, Shaun Rockey, Cavelle (Brian) Key, Kathleen (Terry) Fontaine, Stephanie (Chuck) Pettipas, Adam (Liz) Sutherland, Jeremy Sutherland; brothers-in-law, Adrian (Daphne) Mertin, Curt Mertin and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Bernice and Fred Rockey and father-in-law, Curtis Mertin. Visitation will be held Friday January 27th from 6-9 PM at St. George’s Presbyterian Church. Funeral will be held Saturday January 28th at 11 AM from the church with Rev. Dr. Glen Matheson and Rev. Enjei Achah officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dolly’s memory may be made to the River John Food Bank, a goal she was so excited to see the community accomplish.