Meribeth McKenzie

On Monday, March 6, 2023, Meribeth Tarlton McKenzie, loving mother of two, passed away at age 73. Born at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina to French teacher Cleo Baucom Tarlton and art & antiques dealer W. Sam Tarlton, both deceased. Meribeth is survived by her sons, Russell Lee (Coach Russ) Tarlton (of Raleigh, North Carolina) and Raymond Curtis (and Jacyln) Tarlton (of Hillsborough, North Carolina), and her brother William Samuel (Bill) Tarlton, Jr. (of Raleigh). She is also survived by her granddaughter Aliza Tarlton, her granddaughter Virginia Jane Tarlton, and grandson Benjamin Tarlton. She lived life to the fullest and never took herself too seriously. Her adventures took her from Raleigh, North Carolina to Northport, a village on Long Island, New York, with many excursions into Manhattan as an older teenager and young adult. After leaving Northport, she lived in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and then moved back to Raleigh. In her younger years, she worked at a fast-paced bakery in Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh and later did volunteer work for a non-profit clothing & eclectic gift store in Cameron Village. In addition to her sons, of whom she was mighty proud, she was a mom to her two cats who lived with her in Cameron Village, Sir Purr (deceased at age 18) and Sophia. She was a sweet soul and generous, whenever she could be. She was also strong willed. Committed to never getting her driver’s license, she lived for decades in Raleigh’s Cameron Village. She loved reading magazines at the library, oldies music, outlaw country, Eminem the rapper, Clint Eastwood movies, and true crime television, almost as much as she loved drinking Diet Cokes every morning while chatting up friends and strangers at the Cameron Village McDonald’s (also deceased). Mostly, she loved spending time with her family. A informal gathering will take place at the Tarlton family’s monument (an abstract sculpture named “Rubicon” by local artist Paris Alexander and commissioned by Sam Tarlton) on Locust Avenue within Historic Oakwood Cemetery (701 Oakwood Avenue) in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, March 10, 2023 at 11 a.m. At 12 p.m., the gathering will then migrate over to a celebration of her life at Sam Jones BBQ in downtown Raleigh for food and drinks provided by her sons at 502 West Lenoir Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601.