Charlotte Merritt

please click the link to watch the homecoming celebration  Saturday December 20, 2025 @ 11:00am

https://www.hdezwebcast.com/show/charlotte-merritt

Charlotte was a loving and devoted daughter, niece, cousin, and friend. All who knew her 
found her easygoing and calm manner delightful and reassuring. She quietly went about 
life, impacting and making a difference one person at a time. When in Charlotte’s presence, 
you always felt seen, heard, cared for, and vital to her. She gave you her individual and 
undivided attention, making you feel you mattered. If you needed help and support, 
Charlotte could always be counted on to step in and step up. 
On April 1, 1972, in Dale County, Alabama, a wonderful gift was given to Charlie Merritt and 
Mary Franklin Merritt. They named their gift Charlotte Neshon’ Merritt. Charlotte loved 
people and created many memories traveling and cruising with her beloved mother, 
relatives, and friends. She is a graduate of Enterprise High School, class of 1991, in 
Enterprise, Alabama. Charlotte was a member of the Big Blue Marching Band. After high 
school, Charlotte continued her studies by matriculating at Florida A&M University. A proud 
alumna of Florida A&M University, Charlotte earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial 
Engineering and remained a champion of her alma mater.  
Charlotte was the epitome of this scripture. She was an eminent Senior Project Engineer 
within the Naval Architecture & Engineering Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in 
Pascagoula, Mississippi. She contributed more than two decades of progressively 
responsible experience in program governance and advanced manufacturing to the Gulf 
Coast’s premier shipbuilder, where she orchestrated multimillion‑dollar undertakings. 
Most recently, she synchronized six department managers and an expansive constellation 
of subcontractors to ensure every contractual obligation remained punctually executed 
and fiscally inviolate. Many ships were commissioned under Charlotte’s leadership as 
Project Manager, overseeing budgets and projects totaling millions of dollars. Most 
recently, she shepherded a $3.1 million distortion‑control initiative to immaculate 
completion, burnishing HII’s renown for delivering combat‑ready vessels and eliciting 
laudatory commendations from executive leadership.  
Charlotte’s service transcended the workplace. Her manifold contributions to the Science, 
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) ecosystem garnered national acclaim 
as a Modern‑Day Technology Leader at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards STEM Global 
Competitiveness Conference and the Technology Rising Star laurel at the Women of Color 
STEM Conference. The Women in Shipbuilding Enterprise (WISE) employee resource group 
commemorated her two decades of exemplary service in 2022, while the Boys & Girls 
Clubs of Jackson County extolled her altruistic commitment to the Moss Point Outreach 
Program. Commitment to service is further evidenced by her tenure as president of both 
the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Shipbuilder chapter and WISE, as well as her 
stewardship on the Employee Resource Group Board of Directors for SWE and the 
African American Shipbuilding Association. 
She mentored numerous youth, advocating for and fundraising to help them attend her 
beloved FAMU. Hundreds of students who would not have considered attending college 
received scholarships and now have college degrees and careers, thanks to Charlotte’s 
efforts and encouragement. She was a member of the Wilkerson Beauty Chapter #290 
OES.  
She was a lifetime member of the FAMU National Alumni Association, the founding 
president of the Gulf Coast–Mobile Alumni Chapter, and a 15-year luminary within the 
FAMU Industry Cluster, through which she established a robust talent pipeline between 
FAMU and Ingalls Shipbuilding. Her passion for Rattler athletics was manifest in her 
enduring status as a season‑ticket holder for both football and basketball. She rarely 
missed a game. Charlotte was honored as a 2025 Distinguished Alumni by Florida A & M 
University. 
Charlotte was an entrepreneur. She was the proud owner of C Merritt Travel, whose motto 
was Realize Your Dream. 
As a child, Charlotte’s parents taught her the power of salvation and the need to accept 
Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. Charlotte accepted Christ at an early age and 
stayed committed to her faith. She was an active church member all her life. Her church 
home was Friendship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama.  
Survivors include: a loving mother, Mary Merritt; aunts, Doristine Sankey, Patricia Wright, 
Rene (Bryant) White, and Juanita Merritt; uncles, Walter (Doris) Franklin, Raymond (Sarah) 
Franklin, Ronnie (Brenda) Franklin, Clinton (Melanie) Franklin, and Varnor (Annie) Merritt; a 
lifelong “sister-friend,” Catina Tyson (Danny); and a host of loving cousins, friends, and her 
beloved FAMU family. 
Charlotte was preceded in death by her father, Charlie Merritt; her maternal grandparents, 
Preston and Marie Franklin; and her paternal grandparents, James and Mable Merritt. 
Charlotte departed this life on December 15, 2025.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charlotte Merritt, please visit our floral store.