Betzy wrote:

I am very saddened by Gaye's quick departure.

I guess that was part of her style to keep us on our toes.

I had the privilege to work with her side by side while I was at BYU. We worked with the same teams. We had good times and great times. There was never a bad day when Gaye was around.
She rocked my daughter EJ (she named her and was at the hospital when I delivered her), she teased my son Pitufo and made him laugh by nick naming him "Tofu" because she could not pronounce his name correctly. People would ask my daughter about her name "Ej" - I witnessed many of her explanations, she would proudly say "Gaye Merrill, the best BYU trainer, named me. She is my mom's friend", then she would proceed to tell them about Gaye Merrill: how strong she was, how she warmed up by jogging up the Y and back in 15 minutes, how she could do chin ups and dips with a 100 lb weight attached to her ankles, how she out run the runners at track and field meets to get to an injured athlete, how when she was on a date the car broke down and she was the one pushing the car all the way home, how her tape jobs were not tape jobs, they were works of art; how she knew everything about sports medicine and above all how she loved everyone. As the years passed and the story of my daughter's name got told, Gaye got stronger, faster, tougher and better. Last time I heard it she could run up the Y and back in 5 min. When my Ej was 17 she had a nearly fatal auto pedestrian accident, as she lay in her hospital bed with tubes coming out or going into her body, nurses and doctors would ask her about her name, and she again proudly and with a smile in her swollen face would tell them about Gaye Merrill.

I remember one time when it was my turn to be the "Guest's Trainer"- this meant that I had to be with the visiting team's ATs and tend to their needs; I had to stay on their side of the field, help them with their hydration, cryotherapy, etc. Among students the "Guest's Trainer" was the "Traitor Trainer", so I did not want to be it. As I went to Merrill with my whining she told me that I was an Athletic Trainer and that my concern should be for the athletes not the colors they were wearing. She went on to tell me that they were the visiting team, they were our guests, I was to be at my absolute best behavior (I still hold the record for the # of "See Me Now" notes from Dr D.) and to make them feel at home. Then, the killer line that I have remembered in everything I do: Merrill told me with that penetrating tone of voice: you represent BYU and all it stands for, you represent our program and the quality of our care, don't betray that! With that I whined no more. I picked up my kit, and went to the other side to be the best I could ever be. I remember looking back and there was Merrill…smiling.

Today I looked up and scanned the sky for that smile; I know she is there somewhere, maybe behind the clouds, maybe she is not hiding at all, and her smile is in every life she touched. How foolish can I be? I can feel her smile. She is right here in my home in my daughter's name and everything it stands for. I won't betray that!

I love you Gaye, my Ej admires you, and my "Tofu" still smiles big at the sound of your name!

Betzy