Ethel Belle Merriweather (née Martin) lived a life rooted in faith, family, music, service, and love. Born on March 27, 1926, in Berea, Kentucky, to the late James Martin Sr. and Lucy Watts Martin, she grew up in a family of 13 children, the second-youngest among 10 sisters and 3 brothers. Even as a young girl, Ethel had something about her that inspired confidence. Her parents trusted her with the care of younger sibling, nieces, and nephews, knowing she would do what was right and make sure everyone else did too. Those early days of watching over her beloved family forged bonds that lasted a lifetime and established her as an anchor of strength, wisdom, and devotion.

Though life eventually carried her to Cincinnati to live with her sister, Emma, where she would spend the next eighty years, Kentucky never left her heart. A 1944 graduate of Richmond High School, Ethel briefly studied pharmacy at the University of Louisville and later attended college in Cincinnati. Yet no matter how many years passed, she looked forward to returning home to Farristown for family reunions and church homecomings. Her roots ran deep, and she carried them proudly wherever she went.

In 1946, Ethel married the love of her life, Jesse W. Merriweather Sr. Together, they built a home centered on God and filled with love, laughter, and perseverance. Their marriage spanned fifty years until Jesse was called home to be with the Lord. Together they welcomed twin sons, Jesse Jr. and Jess Lincoln, and embraced Parish as a cherished son. Ethel was the heart of her family. Her husband adored her. Her children treasured her. To them, she was truly their queen.

Ethel possessed the rare ability to make everything around her flourish. She managed her household with grace and determination, balancing family responsibilities with a full-time career. Whether helping customers at Kay Furniture for over 30 years, assisting patrons of the Cincinnati Symphony through subscription sales, or supporting radio stations across the country through her work at Critical Mass Media, she brought warmth, excellence, and a memorable melodic voice that opened doors and won hearts over the long arc of her career in telephonic sales and research. People appreciated her professionalism, but they remembered her kindness.

Faith was the thread woven through every chapter of Ethel's life. Having accepted Christ at an early age and joining Farristown Baptist Church, she carried her love for the Lord with her when she moved to Cincinnati. Over the years, she faithfully served at Metropolitan Baptist Church (under the pastorage of the Late Reverend J. Franklin Walker, the Late Morris W. Fleming, and the Late Rev. Junius Maupin), Greater Fellowship Baptist Church, and Allen Temple. She taught Sunday School, served as superintendent of the Sunday School, organized missionary programs, directed church activities, and was the church musician working with the children’s and adult choirs.

After Reverend Jesse Merriweather entered the ministry in 1967 and founded Gospel Missionary Baptist Church in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in 1983, Ethel embraced her calling as First Lady with the same wholehearted spirit she brought to everything in life: leadership, support, and service. As First Lady, she continued to serve as the church musician, Sunday School teacher, church treasurer, and lead for Vacation Bible School, while also expanding the church’s community outreach. Side by side, she and her husband ministered to a community facing poverty, homelessness, and addiction. Ethel saw beyond circumstance and recognized the dignity and worth of every person she met.

Ethel participated in other ministries that existed beyond the walls of the church. She was a longtime faithful member of the International Association of Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows (IAMWMW) of Cincinnati and the vicinity, serving as chairman for the Devotion and the Outreach ministries, and was also the musician for the Cincinnati Missionary Baptist Women’s Division and the Greater Fellowship Baptist Church Lincoln Crawford Nursing Home and Outreach Ministry.

But titles and positions tell only part of the story.

What people remember most is how Ethel poured herself into others. She had a special place in her heart for young people. She understood that helping children love the Lord required more than lessons. It required joy. She organized church Halloween celebrations where children could safely enjoy costumes, candy, and fellowship, and taught them songs of praise, such as “I will make you fishers of men,” that many still remembered decades later. Through her church work, she mentored young women, collected clothing and toiletries for those in need, prepared and shared meals with the community, and coordinated community gatherings, such as church picnics at the local neighborhood park, to which all of their Over-the-Rhine neighbors were invited. These acts of love welcomed people into fellowship. Whether balancing church finances or serving a hot Sunday meal, she approached every task with the conviction that serving people was serving God.

Music was one of God's greatest gifts to Ethel, and she shared it generously. A gifted pianist and organist, she filled churches, weddings, community gatherings, and family events with music that inspired and uplifted. She loved the great hymns of the church, but she was always willing to learn new styles and sounds. Sitting at her piano, countless students learned not only where to find Middle C, but also how to find confidence in themselves.

Many years later, former students would still stop by her home on Gilpin Avenue simply to thank her. They came to express gratitude for lessons that reached far beyond music. Ethel taught patience, encouragement, and discipline. Often, she charged little or nothing at all because helping others discover their gifts mattered more to her than financial reward.

Her creativity extended beyond music. Long before "upcycling" became popular, Ethel transformed discarded objects into beautiful and useful creations. She delighted in giving old things new life, filling her home and Christmas tree with handcrafted treasures that reflected both her imagination and her belief that beauty could be found where others might overlook it.

Ethel's greatest joy was her family. Christmas Eve gatherings at her home and her beloved Easter bunny cake became treasured traditions that generations looked forward to year after year. She delighted in seeing others happy and had an extraordinary ability to find the good in people. Often, she would look around at her children, grandchildren, and extended family and say with heartfelt gratitude, "I have a beautiful family. They are just so good to me."

Yet those who loved her knew the truth: no kindness shown to her could ever equal the love she poured into others. Through a life marked by humility, generosity, faith, and unwavering devotion to God, she left an enduring legacy that will continue to live on in the lives she touched. Her example reminds us that a life well lived is measured not by what we accumulate, but by how faithfully we love. Though she will be deeply missed, her songs, her prayers, her traditions, and her love will remain in the hearts of all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by Rev. Jesse W. Merriweather, Sr., Jess Lincoln Merriweather, Jesse W. Merriweather, Jr., James Noah Merriweather (great-grandson), Serenity Reece and Jada Reed (great-great granddaughters), sisters and brothers (Sylvinia Mundy (Foster), Nannie Lewis (Walter), Rebecca Warford (Uranus), James Martin Jr. (Ned R.), Emma Lincoln Smith (Herman), Hattie Martin (George), Sallie Walker (Sherman), Fannie Ballard (Alonzo), David, Elizabeth, and William Martin (Amanda Pearl), brothers and sisters-in-law (Ruth Hodges, Chester Hodges, Doris Merriweather, Robert Merriweather).

She leaves to mourn her passing, son, Parish Merriweather (Geti) of Long Island, New York, Gwendolyn Merriweather (daughter-in-law) of Cincinnati, Ohio, sister, Josephine Dillingham (Lucian) of Decatur, Georgia, eight grandchildren, Tyrane Reese, Jesse W. Merriweather III (Lauren), Michelle Merriweather, Lisa Merriweather, Marc Merriweather (Narges Kakalia), Stacy Merriweather (Rodney Fontil), Kourtney Black (Emmanuel), Shanita Futrell; 19 great-grandchildren (Laquieta Reese, Stella Reese, Reginald Merriweather, Joshua Merriweather, Gloria Merriweather, Jeremiah Merriweather, Matthew Braun, Jahia Hunn, Joshua Braun, Cyrus Merriweather, Keigan Cannon, Shamar Futrell, Rebecca Braun, Noah Fontil, Zane Merriweather, Sadie Fontil, Kaydence Black, Zoey Burbridge Futrell, Kinsley Black), four great-great grandchildren (Jaden Reed, Mikyrah Ridley, Eevee Merriweather, Reiley Gray) and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.