Merrilyn C. Dahlgard, 88, passed away on December 23, 2011 at the Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford. Wife of the late Julius A. Dahlgard, Sr, she is survived by daughters Karen Dahlgard and her husband Sidney Isenberg of Orange and Jill Gibbs and her husband Wayne of Cheshire; sons Julius A. Dahlgard, III and Patricia of West Haven and Craig H. Dahlgard of Cheshire; one sister, Lorraine C. Standish and one brother, Edward C. Carlson, both of West Haven, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A daughter of the late Edward O. and Edith Johnson Carlson, Merrilyn was born in Wollaston, MA on January 2, 1923. A graduate of Columbia University, she worked as a dental hygienist, retiring in 1986. A long time and active member of The First Congregational Church of West Haven, she was a resident of Orange for 27 years and was formerly of West Haven. Relatives and friends may attend a Memorial Service at the First Congregational Church of West Haven on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 11 AM. Contributions in Merrilyn's memory can be made to the First Congregational Church Book of Remembrance, 1 Church Street, West Haven, CT 06516 or to Masonicare, PO Box 70, Wallingford, CT 06492. Arrangements are in care of BEECHER & BENNETT-TAYLOR FUNERAL HOME, 410 Campbell Ave, West Haven.