On February 25, our beloved friend, mother, and grandmother, Kathleen Merrill Jesperson Moon, passed away and left this earthly life. Fondly known as Kathy, she was a strikingly beautiful but shy woman who despite her gripping social fears, had a gift for developing close friendships throughout her life. Kathy was born on October 30, 1934, in the small town of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, along with her twin brother, Keith West Merrill. Twins weren't common at this time and her parents, Don and Thelma Merrill had their hands full. Keith was always the outgoing, athletic, academic star, and Kathy was quiet and reserved; she knew how to work hard in school but never considered herself "smart" like her brother and was content to follow at his side. They shared many of the same friends and had a wonderful childhood in Canada. Many of Kathy's childhood friendships from Canada have been her lifelong friends to this day. She had a unique bond with her mother; the two were incredibly close and I know she loved her mother more than anyone, and was looking forward to reuniting with her again. When Kathy graduated from high school, she left Canada to attend college at B.Y.U. in Provo, Utah. She absolutely loved college life and the social units they had back in those days; she continued many of her Canadian friendships in college, but also made many new friends and was a bridesmaid six times. She had many suitors but none that she wanted to settle down with. There, she graduated with an English teaching degree in 1956 and spent the next 15 years teaching high school honors English at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, and later in San Diego, California. Miss Merrill was a strict teacher, who expected a lot out of her students and taught them the value of vocabulary, reading and grammar. Over the years, she has received many letters from former students who have appreciated what she taught them, even one as recently as 2015, who also came to pay her a visit. In 1972, she married Arlyn Jesperson, a widower, and became an instant stepmother to his five children, Doris, Jay, Elaine, Michelle and James. She said it was love at first sight. A year later, they adopted Teran and five years after that, Bronwyn. Both girls were just a few days old and the adoptions were arranged via Kathy's brother Keith, by then an OB-GYN. Kathy had longed to be a mother for many years and at the age of nearly 39, her dreams finally came true! She had a passion and talent for restoring expensive brand-name children's clothing that she found at thrift stores. She gave demonstrations on how to do this all over San Diego. Eventually this led to her opening up her own second hand children's clothing store in the early 1980s. Afterward, Kathy ran a daycare out of her home, substitute taught in school, and worked in her brother's medical offices. In 1996, Kathy moved to Utah to be closer to her daughters. She married Phillip Moon in January of 1997 and they were married until he passed away in 2004. Kathy's later joy was spending time with her grandchildren. When her health was better, she watched them often and they enjoyed every minute of it.  Everyone knew how much she loved babies—especially little girls—and loved to dress them up. Some of her other later hobbies included gardening, reading, thrift store shopping, and collecting Barbie dolls. She loved to decorate for the holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas - her villages took days to set up and will be remembered by all. She had a special affinity for animals, especially CATS. There was never a time in her life where she didn't have at least one cat to care for, even up until the end. She was a life-long member of the LDS Church and especially loved teaching Relief Society. Kathleen's last few years were spent at Abbington Manor, and simultaneously on hospice where she cultivated special friendships with many of the staff, nurses, and aides, who lovingly cared for her. She will be remembered for her particular nature, her work ethic, her attention to detail, her intelligence, her generous heart, and her love for her family. She is preceded in death by her parents, Don and Thelma, her sister, Donnene, and her daughter, Michelle. She is survived by her brother, Keith, her children, Teran Bowman (Andrew) and Bronwyn Radle (Steve), her stepchildren, 25 grandchildren, and many great grandchildren. She has chosen to be cremated and a memorial will be announced at a later date. Memories may be shared, and condolences offered to the family online at www.walkersanderson.com . A full obituary may be viewed at the same website.