Merrie Margret Koenig

Merrie Varian Koenig, 70, passed from this life on August 3, 2022. Merrie was born on November 28, 1951 to Drs. Robert A. and Thelma Q. (Saling) Varian. A lifelong resident of Oklahoma, she grew up in Muskogee and graduated from Muskogee High School in 1969. After high school, she attended Oklahoma State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. While a student at OSU, she was a member of the Tri-Delta sorority. She married Paul McQuillen in 1971 and lived in Oklahoma City and Tulsa where she worked as a lab technician at St. Francis hospital. Merrie’s one life goal was to become a mother, a goal which came to fruition in 1978 when she had her first child, Ryan. After Ryan was born, she became a stay-at-home mom. In 1980, Merrie moved to Bartlesville where she had her second child Lauren. In 1983, she had her third child, Robyn. After years of hard work and study, Merrie earned her Certified Public Accountant license in 1992 after passing all four parts of the CPA exam on the first try. She was employed by Weststar (later Arvest) bank for many years as a Tax Officer for the Trust Department. In 1999, she married the love of her life Steve Koenig. In 2004, Merrie retired from Arvest Bank, and she and Steve moved to Ponca City. They returned to Bartlesville in 2010, where she resided until her death. Merrie had many passions in life. She loved food and had impeccable taste. As a child she would spend her allowance on burgers and candy. As she grew up, she delighted in trying new foods and flavors from all over the world. She loved to cook and bake, especially for others, and would happily sit and read cookbooks, imagining what tastes the recipes would produce or how she would modify certain steps to her own preferences. Merrie loved books. Every house she lived in had shelves stuffed with books. She enjoyed mysteries, historical fiction, and romance novels. She also loved fashion, especially shoes. And she loved collecting art and beautiful things. Her walls were always hung with interesting prints and etchings, and every nook and cranny of her home was decorated with a vase of fresh flowers or something lovely to look at. Her favorite time of year was Christmas. She loved getting a huge tree and decorating the house from top to bottom. It was also a time when she could cook big holiday meals and bake cookies, cakes and other treats for all of her friends and family. She loved having her family all together for the holidays so they could stay up late talking, watching Christmas movies, and solving countless jigsaw puzzles. Merrie was a very talented quilter who could easily spend up to sixteen hours a day sewing and, over the years, several of her quilts were lovingly gifted to family, friends, and charities. For so many, these quilts will continue to provide comfort and warmth when we miss her the most. Because of her own mother’s wanderlust, Merrie had the opportunity to travel most of her life. Growing up, her family would travel to National Parks across the country. After high school, she went with her mother and siblings to Japan. She loved vacations and road trips with her kids. Whether it was the Gulf of Mexico or Niagara Falls, any destination was an opportunity to make a memory. Merrie’s prolific intellect and expansive aesthetic and artistic interests were perfectly matched with Steve, a devoted husband who also shared a love for travel and together the pair saw so much of the world together from New Zealand to London to Iceland, where they saw new sights and had the opportunity to experience how different yet similar life was in other places. Steve’s unwavering love and support enriched Merrie’s life tremendously in moments of both international adventure and domestic warmth alike. In the last passage of her life Merrie’s true love tended to her comfort with tremendous strength but also ensured there was levity and lightness when needed. To those who knew her, Merrie was the embodiment of love and kindness. She was unfailingly honest, but always fair and thoughtful. She had a warmth that drew people to her, and she was a true and loyal friend to so many throughout her life. Merrie’s main joy in life was her family. She always wanted to be a mom and never stopped investing in and supporting her children. She taught us all what unconditional love is, and for that we are eternally grateful. In her final weeks and days, Merrie was surrounded by her family and friends and had the opportunity to tell everyone how much she loved them. Merrie’s entire family is deeply grateful for the excellent care and many kindnesses provided by the Cornerstone Hospice staff and Dr. John Hatchett. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: Hopestone Cancer Support Center of Bartlesville 206 SE Frank Phillips Blvd. Bartlesville, OK 74003 (918) 876-1709 or (918) 766-HOPE Informational Contact: debbie.halpin@hopestonecancer.org Merrie is survived by her husband, Steve Koenig; her son Ryan, his wife Missy and their daughters Chloe and Ainsley; her daughter Lauren, her husband Kyle and their children Avery, Lillian and Arlo; her daughter Robyn, her husband Gene and their daughters Quinn and Elliot; her step-daughter Amanda, her husband Mitch and their daughter Peyton; her brother Karl and his wife Carol; her sister Kandy and her husband Ted; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Sharon Loeffler, her brother Jon Varian, and her mother-in-law Shirley Sanders.

Merrie Margret Koenig

November 28, 1951 - August 3, 2022