Merle E. Lebsock (born Muriel Bennett Pemberton) passed away on July 11, 2007 at the age of 86. She was born November 13, 1920 in Suffolk County, New York. In 1923, she and two of her sisters boarded an Orphan Train in New York City bound for an orphanage in Omaha, Nebraska. The sisters were placed in separate homes and Merle was adopted by William and Fannie Jane Beard in Blair, Nebraska. The Beard's ensured the sisters remained in contact even after the family relocated to Wiggins, Colorado in 1926. She married Conrad Lebsock in 1941 in Benkelman, Nebraska. He died in 1954. Merle took in laundry and cleaned at the Otis Rooms in Fort Morgan to support herself and her three children. She began working in a friend's drapery shop in 1968 and subsequently became owner and operator of The Home Drapery Shop. She provided the community with custom window coverings and professional design services for over 35 years. When ill health forced her retirement in 2005, she continued sharing her talent in the business assisting family and friends with various sewing and design projects. She was an avid reader and often read into the wee hours of the morning to finish a favorite book. She was a fan of the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies as well as local high school sports. Merle was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Merle was an active member of the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America and attended numerous reunions in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. The story of the three sisters' journey aboard the Orphan Train was featured in the book Plains Bound: Fragile Cargo, by Charlotte Endorf in 2006. An additional book, By Train They Came: Fragile Excess Baggage based on Merle's Orphan Train experience geared to primary grades is scheduled for release in late fall of this year. Her story has also been shared by professional story teller, Susan Kaplan through her presentation of A Child with Many Names - Orphan Train Riders, at schools, libraries, senior programs and conferences. Merle was scheduled to attend the September grand opening and dedication of the Morgan-Dowell Research Center & Orphan Train Museum on the grounds of the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas. The Museum and Research Center are dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. Preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, two brothers, her husband, and her son Leslie, she is survived by her sister Lois, of Broken Bow Nebraska, daughter Anita Ertle and her husband of Fort Morgan, son Jerry of Aurora, five grandchildren and one great-daughter. A memorial service celebrating Merle's life will be held at Heer & Joliffe Mortuary on Friday July 20 at 11:30am. Services will conclude at the mortuary. Private inurnment will be in Memory Gardens in Fort Morgan. There has been cremation. Contributions may be made in Merle's name to the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc. P. O. Box 322, Concordia, KS 66901-0322.