On June 23, a special lady in our community — Rusty Merrill — celebrated her 80th birthday.

Rusty is the type of energized person who does not let a minute of daylight go to waste.

Through the years I’ve noted a few of her activities, certainly not an exhaustive list, but here goes:

• She became a Girl Scout back in 1948, is a lifetime member and is now a Master Outdoor Trainer.

• She’s on her 24th year playing for the Wind Symphony.

• She’s Chaplain of the Colorado Springs Parkinson’s Support Group.

• She’s a certified naturalist and board member at Mueller State Park.

• She is certified and teaches CPR classes.

• She has helped on projects at Habitat for Humanity.

• She is a new volunteer at TCRAS, nurturing cats and kittens.

• She is in her fifth year volunteering at the Little Chapel of the Hills Food Pantry and she works/volunteers at area summer camps.

• She hikes a few times a week with a local group.

• She plays the flute with the High AltiTooters (during the Christmas season she plays in over 20 performances).

• At her church, she is usually the first one there Sunday mornings to make the coffee, she stays afterward to lock up after everyone’s gone. She plays in the Hand Bells Choir, sings in the choir, helps with the snow shoveling in the winter, works with the children’s ministry, helps with Vacation Bible School (only some kids can keep up with her), prepares and leads children’s hour, and helps clean up after just about any activity she is present for.

• In between all these activities, she runs her business — Fur, Feather and Fins Pet Care — where neither snow, nor rain, nor rough terrain nor cover of darkness keeps her from delivering care to her customer’s pets.

• She cared dearly for her late husband Frank, who passed away in 2015. Even in that time of incredible loss she preferred that his services be fun and a celebration of his life and their lives together.

• She takes life in stride, with a smile, an incredible positive attitude and a contagious laugh.

On one Sunday morning I asked her about her plans for the day. She said, “We’re hosting a group of over 200 girls this week at a local camp and we just found out the stoves aren’t working — HA HA HA HA.” “Aren’t you worried?” I asked. “Nah,” she said, “we’ll figure it out.”

On a Saturday morning a few years ago, we ran into Rusty at a Focus On The Forest cleanup project. She said, “I had planned to go to a Senior Living Seminar at the church but I decided that the program’s for old people, so I came here.” Of course, she outworked us for the three hours we cleaned up. She bagged and hauled trash up and down steep areas in the forest. While having our lunch I asked her if her if she was looking forward to Sunday, getting some rest, and possibly sleeping in? “Nope,” she said, again with a laugh. “I have a couple of pets I need to go care and feed for this evening and then I need to be back there by 6:30 in the morning before I go to church”. I needed a nap.

Rusty gives the heartiest and hardest hugs. I’m 6’1” and Rusty with her 5’3” frame would practically pick me up with her hug. When I was recovering from shoulder surgery, I asked her if she could be careful and not hurt me. “HA HA HA HA HA,” She said.

On one occasion, and there were probably many others, the church had a group that was coming to stay for the weekend. Our custodian was away – a call/email was sent out for help to clean the bathrooms and showers, NOW. We were all ‘working’, or too sorry to go. Rusty rushed there and cleaned up. “Someone had to do it”, she said.

I finally decided that it was much easier to ask Rusty what she doesn’t do. “I don’t cook,” she said. Most times when I went to Grandmother’s Kitchen or Hungry Bear for breakfast at 6:30 a.m., you could find her there reading the newspaper and having her breakfast — surely a start to a day where she would get more done in a day than most of us do in a week.

“A rolling stone gathers no moss,” states the old proverb. Well, in Rusty’s case moss not only does not gather, it gets tossed yards away — it fears growing in Rusty’s path. What she does gather is the love and admiration from an appreciative community.

Scripture calls us to live out our daily lives with an attitude of gratitude. I have never seen her frown nor have I ever seen her in a bad mood. If you ever want to experience that for yourself and your children, let them live out a day in the life of Rusty. If you think I’m exaggerating, ask anyone who knows her or meet her for yourself.

Happy Birthday Rusty, we are grateful you had a blessed day, have a blessed year, and thank you.

Victor Lebario is a resident of Woodland Park.