Donna H. Merricks

Donna H Merricks was a gifted biologist, painter, jewelry maker, and artist whose creativity touched every part of her life. She worked side by side with her husband Larry at Agrisearch, contributing to her scientific skill, her meticulous eye for business and finance, and her steady, grounding presence. Her love of fashion was shaped by her New York roots, where creativity and style flowed through every street. She saw fashion not as vanity, but as art — a way to express beauty, confidence, and imagination. She studied fabrics the way she studied paintings, noticing texture, movement, and color with an artist’s eye, choosing pieces that reflected her warmth, elegance, and deep appreciation for design. Donna carried that same artistic sensibility into every corner of her life. Whether she was painting, crafting jewelry, studying architectural details, exploring home décor, or discovering new styles, she brought imagination and grace to everything she touched. She also loved cooking, approaching every meal as another canvas for her creativity. With her New York appreciation for flavor and presentation, she took pride in preparing dishes that were not only delicious but visually stunning — meals crafted with the same care and artistry she brought to her paintings, jewelry, and design. For Donna, creativity was a way of living, and cooking was yet another way she shared beauty and love. Travels took her to the Shetland Islands, Scotland, Norway, Baja California, Peru, Machu Picchu, the Galápagos Islands, and Alaska, many through Lindblad Expeditions.

Together, Larry and Donna built a life that was both an adventure and a collaboration. Their travels carried them across continents — deserts, mountains, coastlines, and ancient places — always side by side, always discovering something new. Donna designed furniture, and Larry brought her visions into being through his love of woodworking, each piece a quiet conversation between her imagination and his hands. They searched the earth for fossils and minerals, rock hounding with shared excitement and expertise. Back home, they crafted jewelry together from the stones and fossils they found, filling their home with creations that blended their talents, their travels, and their deep devotion to one another. Their home became a gallery of their life: art, craft, and memory woven together.

Donna were preceded in death by their beloved daughter, Amy Garnette Merricks, who left us too soon in 2009 at age 32. Amy pursued science and art throughout her life, working at Agrisearch during high school and college. She graduated from Linganore High School with honors and earned double majors in Biochemistry and Ancient Studies from UMBC. She interned at the Smithsonian Institution, analyzing ancient artifacts, and was studying for her PhD at Johns Hopkins University in Geology and Crystallography at the time of her passing. She was a gifted artist, winning multiple awards for drawing, painting, and silversmithing, and she believed deeply in the betterment of humanity through science.

Donna was preceded in death by her mother Ruth Agnano Holscher, her father John Charles Holscher, her sister Joan Edith Holscher, and her brother William “Bill” Holscher.

Donna leaves behind stepdaughter Lisa Leisinger, son in law Rhett Leisinger, and step granddaughters Nicole Leisinger (Doug Reed) and Janet Leisinger (James King). They are also remembered with love by dear friends Ed and Cathy Scott, Paul Shanholtz, Gary Browning, and Ai Feng “Sam”, Larry’s “brother from another mother”, along with many friends and neighbors.

Together, Larry, Donna, and Amy formed a family defined by intellect, creativity, adventure, and devotion. Their legacy lives on in the knowledge they shared, the beauty they created, and the love they gave so freely — a love that continues to echo in the lives of those who knew them.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family, where their stories and memories will be cherished in the quiet company of those closest to them. Family & Friends are invited to share messages of remembrance and to honor their legacy or through a donation in their name to a charity meaningful to them.