Mary “Merry” Marie Metz-Ranson (60) of Amherst, Virginia departed this life surrounded by family and friends in her home on February 1, 2020 at 1:34 P.M. Mary was creative, free-spirited, fun loving, an artist, a welder, a horse trainer, you name it she would always find a way to do it! Mary danced to the beat of her own drum and enjoyed life to its fullest. She was a native of Illinois and graduated from Princeville High School. Mary is preceded in death by her father, John Ewing Sutton and her oldest brother, William Larry Sutton. She leaves behind her husband, Thomas” Tommy” Garrett Ranson; her only son, Dustin R Metz and wife Kelly; two grandsons, Alex and Karter Metz; her mother, Dorothy M Sutton; her sister, Carolyn J Dickerson and husband Walter Dickerson; her brother, Donald W Sutton and wife Margaret Sutton; nieces, Valerie Sutton and her two sons, Crystal L. Oliver and husband Tyrese Oliver and their children, Carrie A. Bennett and husband John Bennett and their children, Fawna R. Gillam and husband Larry Gillam and their 2 sons, Farrah L. Garretts and husband Scott Garretts and their two children; and her special friends, Donald and Lori Helms. “To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” (Author -Osho). Keep dancing your dance Mary, we love you. Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360 is assisting the family.