Avery Elizabeth Merritt, born Feb. 27, 2009, embodied the best parts of all of us. The beloved daughter to Russell Merritt and Tina Dombroski, younger sister to Jackson Merritt and Nathan Young, and cherished granddaughter to Janice Merritt, journeyed beyond this world Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

Avery was the glue that connected our lives. She saw through pretenses and offered advice with a depth of insight and clarity far beyond her 16 years.

Her natural creativity was boundless, and throughout her life, she produced incredible sketches, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, clothing, written stories, and culinary delights. Her attention to detail was evident in everything she did, completing even the simplest tasks with an artistic whimsy or a deeply thoughtful purpose.

Avery had a profound love for animals and was pursuing a future in veterinary medicine. She devotedly cared for her dog Lucy, her cats River Forrest and Terra, and her hamster Seuss. Her “heart horse” was Miley, with whom she shared an incredible bond of loving, trust and understanding. Together, they had become a fearless duo completing high jumps, courses, and liberty work. Avery competed in many equestrian shows and received numerous ribbons and accolades. 

Avery’s natural curiosity of the world around her also included plants and herbology. She often grew plants from clippings or seeds to create natural products and art, many times drawing her inspiration from Native American culture.

Avery loved an engaging story and enjoyed reading books, listening to podcasts about a wide range of topics from true crime to indie music to survivalism. She was a true aficionado of SpongeBob SquarePants as well as the Breaking Bad series.  Despite living in an age of online content, she had an innate ability to remain connected in the present moment. To say she was nonconformist by nature would be an understatement. She was a truly special person in so many ways but did not like to receive attention for her exceptionalism. She was also academically gifted, excelling in all subjects, especially math, science, and literature.  

Avery also shared a love for volleyball and grew her skills while playing for Premier travel teams, Sandsharks beach team and Sussex Technical High School. The friendships she gained through these leagues were meaningful to her, and the shared experiences of victory, loss, and growth made a great positive influence in her life

Avery was taken from this world far too early, leaving before her full potential was ever realized. Her family will never allow the beauty of her life to be overshadowed by the tragedy of her death and will honor her with every beat of their collectively heavy hearts.

A viewing will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Watson Funeral Home and Crematorium, 211 S. Washington St., Millsboro. A funeral service will follow at noon. Burial will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Avery’s name to feast-ed.org, an organization dedicated to bringing awareness and support to loved ones suffering from the illness of an eating disorder.  

Visit Avery’s Life Tribute webpage and sign her online guest book at watsonfh.com.

Two of the most successful high school volleyball coaches in northeastern South Dakota, Rosemary Bellum of Watertown and Nancy Hoeke of Milbank, are stepping down.

Bellum announced her resignation, which is pending approval from the Watertown School Board in January, on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025.

The announcement came a couple of weeks after Hoeke’s resignation was approved by the Milbank School Board on Dec. 8, 2025.

Bellum is the winningest coach in Watertown High School history, leading the Arrows to a 192-80 record in nine seasons. She spent the past 28 years involved in the program either as a head coach or an assistant.

Hoeke spent 35 years as a volleyball coach, including the past 25 as a head coach at Milbank. She is the school’s all-time winningest coach with a career record of 449-279.

Successful run for former Arrow

Bellum, a 1994 Watertown High School graduate, was a member of the Arrows’ state Class AA girls basketball championship team in 1993 and the Arrows’ state Class AA volleyball runner-up team in 1994.

She became the sixth head coach in the history of the program (which began in 1990-91) when she replaced Kim Rohde in April of 2017. Other Watertown coaches and their records with the Arrows include Beth Schutt (139-71-5 in seven seasons), Tiffany Beste (88-69 in seven seasons), Rohde (64-60 in five seasons), Karen Bossman (74-150 in seven seasons) and Jeff Denzer (9-24 in one season).

Up next for voting is volleyball.

Below are the 2025 Athens high school volleyball all-area players, which were hand selected by the coaches. Cast a vote for who you think deserves the ultimate title of “Volleyball Player of the Year.”

The poll will be open until Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m.

Athens all-area high school volleyball player of the year poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A student from Oak Grove High School was recently invited to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Freshman Piper Hudson was invited to the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program where she spent four days of her winter break refining her skills and showcasing her talents.

The school shouted out Hudson on its social media commending the freshman for her achievement.

With a state title and school-record 39 wins from Columbia this fall, this year’s Republic-Times All-Local Volleyball Team will feature several Eagles. 

But there were other standout team and individual volleyball highlights locally, as this list will show.

FIRST TEAM

Ava Mathews, Columbia. This all-state senior will showcase her talents at Southeast Missouri State University next season. She did just about everything on the court, finishing with 248 kills, 485 assists, 95 blocks and 264 digs for the state champs.

Claire Sandstrom, Columbia. An all-stater for the second time, this junior led the Eagles with a whopping 348 kills. She also recorded 296 digs and 62 blocks.

Ellie Day, Waterloo. A senior all-conference selection, she led the Bulldogs with 340 assists and 179 service points. Day will play next season at St. Louis Community College.

Karmon Grohmann, Gibault. An all-around amazing athlete, this senior led the Hawks in points, kills and assists this fall. Grohmann will play next season at Lewis & Clark Community College.

Ella Horner, Columbia. The captain of the state champs, she provided senior leadership and recorded a team-high 536 digs to go along with 156 points.

Kenzy Koudelka, Waterloo. Another senior all-conference selection, she capped off a solid Bulldogs volleyball career with 113 points, 148 kills and 395 digs this fall.

Ellie Zweigart, Waterloo. An all-conference senior libero, Zweigart was the engine that made the Bulldogs go this fall. She finished with 471 digs and 110 points.

Maura Kohlenberger, Columbia. An all-conference senior, she led the state champion Eagles with 130 blocks and also contributed 153 kills.

Kadence Seitz, Valmeyer. The lone all-conference selection for the Pirates, Seitz led her team in both kills and digs.

Samantha Spruill, Columbia. This junior led the Eagles with 503 assists and contributed 237 points. She’ll be a key part of Columbia’s 2026 squad.

Megan Huebner, Waterloo. Yet another senior all-conference selection, She finished with 67 blocks and 98 kills on the season.

Sam Juelfs, Waterloo. A tall multi-sport talent, this senior all-conference selection finished with 120 kills.

SECOND TEAM

Kinley Jany, Columbia. This senior will play sand volleyball for McKendree University next season after leading the state champion Eagles in points with 244 to go along with 444 digs and 139 kills.

Hope Chambers, Gibault. Another top senior for the Hawks, she led the team with 317 digs and also had 146 kills.

Izzy Mushaney, Dupo. Just a sophomore, she earned all-conference honors after leading the Tigers in kills.

Addison Dewilde, Columbia. This fabulous freshman finished second on the team with 117 blocks. The future looks bright.

Aubry Thomas, Gibault. Another senior leader for the Hawks, she led the team with 419 digs.

Maddi Huddleston, Valmeyer. She led the Pirates in assists this season.

Marley Mathews, Columbia. The younger sister of Ava, this sophomore recorded 199 kills and 63 blocks.

Ashlynn Reinhold, Gibault. A sophomore, Reinhold finished with 204 assists and 130 digs for the Hawks.

Kaitlyn Roberts, Dupo. A junior all-conference selection, she led the Tigers in aces and made her mark in other statistical categories.

Claire Kessler, Gibault. This senior led the Hawks in blocks.

Alli DeClue, Dupo. A junior all-conference selection, she was an important part of the passing game for the Tigers.

Addison Mitchell, Dupo. This senior all-conference selection led the Tigers in assists this season.

SPECIAL MENTION

Emery Bockhorn (Waterloo), Julia Briggs (Waterloo), Raina Roessler (Waterloo), Maggie Altes (Gibault), Kaleigh Hicks (Valmeyer), Kylie Fillinger (Dupo), Lilianna McMannis (Dupo), Leah Schlemmer (Gibault), Olivia Biffar (Gibault), Ava Gilbert (Waterloo), Kaidyn Moore (Waterloo), Brynn Moore (Gibault)