Baseball Figure. She was the long-suffering widow of Yankee legend Mickey Mantle. Raised in Oklahoma, Merlyn met the future Hall-of-Famer in 1949 while she was a cheerleader at Picher High School, archrival of Mickey's Commerce High. The couple wed in 1951, after Mantle's rookie season, and remained married until the slugger's death from cancer on August 13, 1995. Life was not easy; the public was well aware of Mickey's accomplishments on the field, and of his many injuries, but his drinking and philandering only gradually came to light well after his playing days. Merlyn eventually became an alcoholic herself, and underwent rehabilitation at the Betty Ford Center. Though they were separated for the last six years of marriage, Merlyn maintained her home as a sort-of shrine to Mickey. Merlyn's memoir, "A Hero for All His Days", was published in 1996; she died of Alzheimer's disease. Asked why she never divorced her famous-but-difficult husband, she said: "I adored Mick. I thought I couldn't live without him. In many ways he was very good to me, very generous. I never wanted a divorce, and he never asked for one."
Baseball Figure. She was the long-suffering widow of Yankee legend Mickey Mantle. Raised in Oklahoma, Merlyn met the future Hall-of-Famer in 1949 while she was a cheerleader at Picher High School, archrival of Mickey's Commerce High. The couple wed in 1951, after Mantle's rookie season, and remained married until the slugger's death from cancer on August 13, 1995. Life was not easy; the public was well aware of Mickey's accomplishments on the field, and of his many injuries, but his drinking and philandering only gradually came to light well after his playing days. Merlyn eventually became an alcoholic herself, and underwent rehabilitation at the Betty Ford Center. Though they were separated for the last six years of marriage, Merlyn maintained her home as a sort-of shrine to Mickey. Merlyn's memoir, "A Hero for All His Days", was published in 1996; she died of Alzheimer's disease. Asked why she never divorced her famous-but-difficult husband, she said: "I adored Mick. I thought I couldn't live without him. In many ways he was very good to me, very generous. I never wanted a divorce, and he never asked for one."
Bio by: Bob Hufford
Inscription
Blessed are those you fill with joy and love
This passion becomes a gift of acceptance to ones own needs.
Remember yourself and so shall others. You truly are a saint sent from above. From your heart to our hearts you will live on...
With love,
Mick, your boys and your grandchildren
