Noriko Merrett

Noriko Merrett (née Sakai) passed away peacefully on May 1, 2026, at Peterborough Hospice, at the age of 66. She is survived by her sister, Eiko Nitani (née Sakai), and her devoted husband, Neil. Noriko was the loving daughter of the late Masanori Sakai and Tomoko Sakai (née Michiko). Born on October 12, 1959, in Mutsu, Aomori, Japan, Noriko moved to Canada in 1987 and eventually settled in Peterborough, where she attended Fleming College and received a diploma in Social Service Work. She was a board member and volunteer at the Peterborough YWCA, and started her own local fund raising effort for victims of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Noriko took great joy in volunteering at the Canadian Canoe Museum gift shop for 20 years, and deepened her love of nature as a seasonal employee at the Algonquin Park Visitor Center for 12 years.