October 21, 2024
COLQUITT, Ga. – Jane Merritt, a visionary Southern Baptist who was involved in the creation of Camp Pinnacle in the Georgia mountains, died Thursday at VITAS Suites, a hospice facility in Panama City, Fla.
She was 98.
Merritt, who was a member of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis during the pastorate of famed preacher R.G. Lee, had a long career as a registered nurse with Baptist Health.
“She was the perfect picture of a southern lady, very gentle, very kind, loving and generous,” said Carl Marshall, her former pastor at First Baptist Church of Colquitt. “She was very faith and dedicated to her church. She served as the church historian, the church librarian, the WMU director. She was always willing to serve in any role in which she was needed.”
Besides her early involvement with Camp Pinnacle, Marshall said Merritt was also active in the Colquitt community. She served on the Miller County Recreation Board and is credited with starting Spring Creek Park, which includes a campground and recreational areas.
She is survived by two sons, Bradley Merrit of Colquitt and Tommy Merritt of Panama City, Fla., three grandchildren, Christopher, Daniel and Courtney Merritt, and four great grandchildren.
A private memorial was held on Monday in Colquitt.
Marshall said Merritt’s work with Camp Pinnacle, which opened in 1947, has impacted the lives of countless Georgia Baptists over the past 75 years. Camp Pinnacle is open year-round and has a lodge and cabins that are used for summer youth camps, church retreats and conferences.
