Editor's Note: This last week, the Up & Coming Weekly family lost a special person. Merrilyn Bowman always had a smile on her face and a kind word for those of us in the office.
Merrilyn was a major supporter of children's literacy and served as the Chair of the Kidsville News! Literacy and Education Foundation. She also served as President of Merrigold Publishing Inc., the publishing company behind Kidsville News!
She made us all feel special by showing up to our birthday celebrations and holiday lunches, and her support of the UCW team made us all feel valued.
She will be incredibly missed.
As the UCW family mourns, we thank the community for your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper.
— Aly Hansen, Editor

Merrilyn Elaine Harrison Bowman, 78, of Fayetteville, died on April 30, 2026 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after a brief illness.
Merrilyn was born in Kyoto, Japan where her father was stationed, but spent most of her life in Fayetteville. She is the daughter of Colonel Merrit and Doris Harrison. She is a graduate of Fayetteville Senior High School.
She worked with and retired from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Cumberland County Center. She enjoyed her work with the growers and farmers of Cumberland County and the relationships she made with coworkers over the years.
Merrilyn enjoyed visits with her sons and grandchildren, the arts, yardwork and reading. She excelled at managing a well-kept home. William (Bill) Bowman was the love of her life. They were married in 1980 in Fayetteville where they made their home.
She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Bill; son Leonard Thagard Jr. and his wife, Donna, of Raleigh, and their sons, Nicholas and John; son Grady McLeod Bowman and his wife, Kate, and their daughter, Guthrie, of Decatur, Georgia; and her sisters, Gail Joyner of Wake Forest and Kathy Bass of Fayetteville.
She was predeceased by her parents; her brother, Merrit Harrison Jr.; and her brother-in-law, Worth Joyner.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, May 12 at 11 a.m. at Rogers & Breece Funeral Home, 500 Ramsey Street, Fayetteville North Carolina with Rev. Archie Barringer officiating. The family will receive friends at a reception following the service at Two Brothers Catering located at 806 Katie St. in Fayetteville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Kidsville News Literacy and Education Foundation, c/o Up & Coming Weekly, 225 Ray Avenue, Suite 204, Fayetteville North Carolina 28301.