Hyde takes oath of citizenship at age 91

Merrilee Hyde stood before a U.S. flag and raised her right hand, swearing allegiance to the country that has been her home since immigrating in 1965.

It was a long-held goal for the 91-year-old Grandview resident.

“I was working all these years, and I just let it go by,” Merrilee said.

But after retiring from her career as a bakery manager and then as a caregiver, she moved to Tennessee with her daughter, Melva, and they started exploring what she’d need to do to become a citizen.

Merrilee grew up on the island of Roatán off the northern coast of Honduras. She married Osman when she was 15 years old. 

Osman served in the U.S. Merchant Marines, said Melva. 

“Mom always wanted to be in this country,” Melva said. “She thought it was the greatest country in the world.”

It took 15 years, but he kept his word.

In 1965, Osman brought his family to the United States. They landed in Miami and took a Greyhound bus to New Orleans. It was just after Hurricane Betsy devastated the city in August.

“He lost everything, and we arrived in October and he’d gotten some furniture together,” said Melva, who was just 11 when she moved to the U.S.

Melva became a citizen when she was 18, noting her father had encouraged his children to pursue citizenship.

“He wanted us to get it because we wanted it,” she said.

Merrilee has five children who live in Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and a host of grandchildren.

She’s returned to Roatán a couple of times to visit family still there, but there’s not many relatives left in the old country, she said. 

“I was planning to go back and visit, but I don’t know if I’ll make it,” Merrilee said.

Becoming a U.S. citizen requires a number of steps. Merrilee had her permanent resident care — sometimes referred to as her “green card.”

Becoming a citizen requires being able to pass a civics test. That test varies based on age. Merrilee was asked 10 questions verbally. She was told she had passed when she answered six questions correctly.

“I had to study hard,” Merrilee said.

The process also includes an interview.

Because of her age and health, Officer Joshua Evans with the Nashville field office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted the oath of citizenship for Merrilee at the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce office May 10.

Asked what she most looked forward to in becoming a citizen, Merrilee said, “Just knowing I’m a citizen before I pass along.”