Merrellene Sprouse, 100, of Mantua died Friday, May 12, 2017, following a seven-day hospitalization.

She was born November 15, 1916 in Aurora, Ohio to Harry and Susan (Palmer) Guyette. A Mantua resident for 91 years, Merrellene graduated from Mantua Village High School in 1935. She worked at the Mantua Post Office, the Ravenna Arsenal, and the Mantua Grain, but her dream was to own and manage her own store. In 1967, she opened the Mantua Variety Store, which she ran for 23 years. During that time, she became a co-founding member of the Mantua Merchants Association and sought to maintain the charm and personal touch of a friendly store in a small town. Merrellene was known for her homemade noodles, dumplings, and fudge, as well as for her traditional needle arts. In her early 90s, she began to host an annual half-week Quilt Camp at her house for her nieces and grandnieces in an effort to ensure that her knowledge of traditional quilt making would live on in the next generations. Aunt Merrellene’s final Quilt Camp was held in April 2017. Survivors include her son Rex Sprouse of Bloomington, IN, her sister-in-law Ione Guyette of Mantua, 13 nieces and nephews, and a host of grands and great-grands. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband John (in 1991, after 45 years of marriage), brothers and sisters Arthur, Charles, Willard (Arden), Arlene, Maurice, Kenneth, Willard (Bill), Marjori, Arnold (Bill) and Robert Guyette. Calling hours will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Monday, May 15, 2017 at Shorts Spicer Crislip Funeral Home Streetsboro Chapel. Funeral services will be at 11:00 AM Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at the funeral home with Hilltop Christian Church Pastor Alan Cory officiating. Burial will follow in Hillside Cemetery in Mantua. 

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