Mern Richards Atwater
August 7, 1942 ~ May 29, 2016
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Marion "Mern" Richards Atwater, age 73, passed away on May 29, 2016. She died at home surrounded by her husband and children in Asheville, NC after a decade long struggle with ovarian cancer. She was the daughter of Thomas and Lillian Richards of Augusta, GA.
She is survived by her husband of 46 years, J. Spencer Atwater, Jr., MD, four children: Whitney Atwater of Atlanta, GA, Sara Atwater, MD of Winston-Salem, NC, John Atwater of Fairview, NC and Tom Atwater of Asheville, NC and her beloved grandson, Mason Atwater of Fairview, NC. She is also survived by her four sisters, Marcia Garrett of Beech Island, SC, Eleanor Humphries of Aiken, SC, Thomasine Richards of Tryon, NC and Beck Hanley of Greenville, SC.
Mern attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA and graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English. Mern was a devoted mother to her four children. She was also an avid gardener and had a special talent for floral arrangements, as evidenced by her successful business, Garden Flowers. She often contributed her time and talents to Trinity Episcopal Church Flower Guild. In her later years, one of her greatest joys was her grandson Mason.
A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville, NC on Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at 2:00 PM with a reception to follow in Tuton Hall. There will be a family visitation on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian in Arden, NC.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville, NC.
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My condolences on the loss of your beloved mother. Sending love.
So hard to believe!…Mern certainly left a big mark on Asheville..She will be missed..Condolences to the family and friends..
Our deepest condolences. While we can not attend the funeral, we will all be there in spirit.
Mern was an amazing person. We will all miss her dearly.
Whitney, Sara , Tom and family, I am so sorry for the loss of your dear mother.
Very sorry for your loss, I will pray for peace and strength in this time of suffering.
May it help in some small way to know that my thoughts and prayers are with the entire family.
Tom andI are so saddened by this news. What a special lady. She will be missed…..it is so difficult to put into words the things the heart would say.
May you find comfort in the thought that wonderful memories of times spent with Mern will one day replace the loss and sorrow felt today.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of such a sweet and kind lady. Please know your family is in my prayers during this time of sorrow.
So sorry to hear of Mern’s passing, she was such a lovely lady, I was employed by her husband Dr. J. Spencer Atwater for some time and had visited their home at Christmas and collected several wonderful receipes she had made and I use til this day. My blessings to the family, children and grandchildren, with regards, Shirley Colagerakis
I am so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Sarah and Riddick
Whitney, I am so sorry for your loss, and I will be praying for you, John, Sara, and Tom. Mark and I send our love to you in this very difficult time.
Dr. Atwater, I am so thankful that you got to spend time with your wife before her passing. Your family obviously had tremendous love for each other. Thank you so much for being so caring to my own daughter Jessica. We have been blessed because of you.
Whitney- my prayers go out to you and your entire family during this difficult time. I know your mom was an amazing and strong woman who never gave up.
She was a hero to all. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Tom and family,
So sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. You’ll be in my thoughts in the coming days and weeks.
For Spencer,Whitney,John,Sara,Tom, all of you are our prayers and close to our hearts. She fought an amazing fight. She inspired so many people to live in the present, and be very thankful for everyday. She has left an amazing legacy in all of you, make her proud. All our love Bob and Millie
Spencer, and all the family.
I am sad to learn of Mern’s death. She was one sweet and kind woman. My thoughts of her, and all of you, will fill my day.
Dear Spencer, Sara, Tom, and The Other Children, I am so very sorry for your loss. I will miss Mern also. She was always so kind to me. The world will be a different place without her. May God, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), pour forth his comfort on you and give you peace. Love….
To Spencer and all the family,
Mern was such a wonderful, sweet and caring woman.
We are so happy that we got to know her.
Please accept our sincere condolences.
My sincere condolences to Mern’s family. I knew Mern in school. She was a sweet and caring person.
We are so sorry to learn of Merne’s passing. She was a lovely person and a true southern lady. She will be missed by so many. Please accept our deepest sympathy.
Sending love and hugs to all of you!
Blessings to all of you in this time of grief
We are all so sad to learn about Mern’s passing. Such a wonderful, special lady. Our connections go all the way back to Beech Island, with great family connections, and Mern will be missed by all. Love to each of you, Betsy Biggers, Rebecca Biggers, Marilyn Biggers Monahan, and Glenn Biggers Haden
Sending condolences, prayers and love to all of Mern’s family on this very sad occasion. Mern was a most lovely lady, and she will be very much missed by all.
Dear All you precious family of Mern,
My last memories of Mern were from the months when my sister Ginger was battling cancer several years ago. Mern was so sweet and dear in her concern, prayers and love for both of us…I think ‘kind’ is the main word that comes to mind when I think of her. A book I have read recently, ‘Imagine Heaven’ just was so encouraging, and I hope some of you will get it. May you have a new awareness of God’s mercy and grace for you as you travel this journey of grief for your beloved Mern. love, Emily Hitchcock Higginbotham
I had known Mern ever since the Sixth Grade when we were both taking swimming lessons at the YWCA. Over the years, she was always kind and gracious. My family moved from Augusta, and I lost contact with many Augustans. Never knew she had married Spencer Atwater–forty-six years!
I didn’t know your mom, John, but I saw a post on Facebook about her death and wish to send you and your family my condolences. My thoughts ere with you.
Dear Spencer,Whitney, Sara, John and Tom,
Our deepest condolences. Mern was one of the most charming, kind, intelligent and funny women I have ever had the privilege of calling my friend.
We didn’t see each other often, but when we did, it was always a great day. She fought a good fight and will be missed.
Our hearts and thoughts are with you across the miles.
All Our Love,
d & d
Sending sincerest condolences. Our thought and prayers will be for each of you. Many hugs
In this time of great sadness, my heart remembers three young women squished into one dorm room and nights of silliness, giggles and lots of questions we didn’t have answers to…..1960 was a long time ago; but her laughter still warms my heart
So sorry to hear of Mern’s passing. She was always a happy spirit and a good friend. My sympathy to all in her family.
Spencer, Whitney, Sara, John and Tom,
I share the sadness you all feel with the loss of your beloved wife/mother. May her passing bring all of you peace knowing that her suffering is over now. And may the loving memories you all have support you through the transition. I will remember Mern’s smile, good humor and patience.
Love and strength to each of you.
To all the Atwaters… My heart is with you. Mern was such an inspiration and role model to me of what loving unconditionally looks like. She was so sweet, real and nurturing. I love you all. Hugs.
Ric, Rodney and Sarah join me in sending our deepest sympathies and love to the Atwater family for the loss of a wonderful lady. We all will miss her love and spirit. Our prayers to all of you in the coming months. Ann Porter
Dr. Atwater. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I’m so sorry to hear about your wife passing. Mern was a sweet person and I know you will miss her greatly. God bless.
So very sad to hear of Mern’s passing from Tom Mac post on FB.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.
My prayers are with you and your family!
Spencer , Mern will never be forgotten. Her gentle spirit will always remain with those who loved her. May the Lord surround you and your family with love and peace