Phyllis Merritt, Esteemed Music Educator, Passes Away at 86

Phyllis June Merritt, a distinguished music educator and choral director, passed away on August 3, 2025, at the age of 86. Known for her significant contributions to music education, Merritt’s legacy spans several decades and includes a profound impact on countless students and communities across the United States.

Born as the third daughter of Earl and Willie Merritt in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Phyllis developed her musical talents early on. She began singing in school and church choirs while also playing the flute and piano. After earning a Bachelor of Science in music education from East Tennessee State University, she began her teaching career in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Merritt later moved to Florida, where she expanded her teaching portfolio to include elementary, junior high, and high school choral music. She served as choir director in several churches and completed her Master’s in music education at Florida State University in 1972. Throughout her career, she conducted numerous honors and all-state choruses nationwide, showcasing her choirs at conventions hosted by the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

Under Merritt’s leadership, eight choirs performed at state, regional, and national conventions, with three choirs embarking on adjudicated tours across Europe. Her excellence in teaching was recognized multiple times; she was named Teacher of the Year in Okaloosa and Escambia counties, as well as at Niceville High School, Meigs Junior High School, and Escambia High School. In 1975, she was honored as an Outstanding Secondary Educator of America.

Merritt’s influence extended beyond the classroom. She served as president of the Florida Vocal Association and the Florida ACDA, and held a leadership position in the Southern Division of ACDA. Her accolades include the Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Services Award from the Florida ACDA in 1989 and the Award for Excellence in Choral Arts from the Southern Division ACDA in 2000.

After retiring from Niceville High School in 1990, Merritt remained active in the music community as an adjudicator, conductor, and clinician. She continued to serve as choir director at Trinity United Methodist Church in Fort Walton Beach until 1998. In 2003, she founded the Phyllis Merritt Singers, which brought together musicians from her previous choirs. The group performed at prestigious venues, including the Pentagon, the National Holocaust Memorial, and the Biltmore Estate.

Phyllis Merritt is survived by her loving nieces and nephews and their families, including Steve and Wanda Taylor, Jeff and Sandi Taylor, Jeanne and Nick Orach, and Sandy and Barry Edgerton. She was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings, and her best friend of over 52 years, Anne Folsom.

A Celebration of Life and Song is scheduled for September 20, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Walton Beach, where Merritt was a devoted member. Following the service, her ashes will be interred in the Merritt plot at Happy Valley Cemetery in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Music Ministry of First Presbyterian Church, located at 134 Beal Parkway SW, Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32548.