Mariah was a bright, kind, artistic, and brave soul — a beautiful light in this world whose open smile, gentle spirit, and boundless heart touched everyone lucky enough to cross her path. She left an imprint that will never fade. Mariah, of Dale City, Virginia, passed away from complications of myasthenia gravis on December 5, 2025.
She was born in Paducah, Kentucky, on July 11, 1990, to Maria (Peitzmeier) Montalvo and Joseph Everett Bartz.
After living in Brookport and Herrin, Illinois, she moved to Macomb, Illinois, with her mother and brother, Zak, in 1995. While her mother was teaching science at Macomb Junior High, Mariah was blossoming into a curious, energetic, and creative child — always questioning, exploring, and brightening every room she entered. According to her kindergarten teacher, she made the best snowman picture in the whole class. She understood art at a very young age, instinctively creating pictures with bold complementary colors and striking contrasts.
In 2000, Maria married Greg Montalvo, and Mariah’s family grew to include him and his children, Amanda, Joshua, and Megan. Mariah attended Macomb Senior High School, where she continued her art and sang in the choir.
After a brief hiatus — during which she even learned roller derby — she returned to Western Illinois University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications with a minor in Studio Art. Not long before graduation, she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and began treatment.
She moved to Woodbridge, Virginia, in 2016 to bravely begin a new chapter of life. While initially living with her aunt, Julie, and uncle, Patrick, she began her career as an associate designer. She learned to navigate the challenges of long commutes, building new friendships, and living each day with myasthenia gravis.
Mariah continued her graphic design career and joined ASIS in November 2017 as a Graphic Designer. It didn’t take long for her talent and spirit to shine. Through her creativity, dedication, and generosity as a teammate, she rose steadily within the organization — earning promotion to Senior Graphic Designer in 2021, then Senior Digital Designer in 2022, and, ultimately, Manager, Digital Design in July 2024.
Over the years, she won more awards for her graphic design work than anyone could easily count, each one a reflection of her extraordinary eye and care. Just as meaningful were the many friendships she formed at ASIS; her warmth, humor, and kindness touched colleagues across the organization.
Mariah’s life was never just about work. She surrounded herself with friends, loved to go out and socialize, and embraced the joy in simply being with the people she cared about. In 2016, she found the love she had always hoped for when she met her future husband, Herson Merino, online.
They instantly clicked, conversations flowed easily, and before long Mariah moved in with him. Day by day, their love deepened. Together they learned how to communicate, how to be true partners, and how to be each other’s constant pillar of support.
Herson was everything she had been looking for — a gamer, a bit of a nerd, intelligent, motivated, and, most of all, someone who truly loved her. And Mariah was everything he had ever wanted — a little dorky, kind, determined, caring, supportive, a beautiful woman inside and out, and, above all, someone who loved him exactly as he was.
On October 7, 2022, she married Herson in the beautiful Brookside Botanical Gardens in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In the years that followed, Mariah and Herson built a life together — working incredibly hard, yet always making time to watch anime, go to gaming conventions, travel abroad, and, more than anything, be good, loving partners to one another.
Mariah’s family brought her joy. After she and her mother went to Ireland together, she told her, “Now we have no regrets.” Greg was a wonderful father to her. She spent many happy times with aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was especially close to her cousin Michaela Romano throughout her life and as Michaela fought breast cancer. Mariah was by her side when she passed peacefully after a three-year battle.
Mariah was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Dennis and Marjorie Peitzmeier; her step-paternal grandparents, Gregory and Nancy Montalvo; her cousin, Michaela Romano; her cat, Vertigo; and her dog, Luly.
She is survived by her husband, Herson Merino, of Dale City, Virginia; her mother, Maria (Peitzmeier) Montalvo, of Macomb, Illinois; her father, Joseph Everett Bartz, of El Paso, Texas; her step-father, Greg Montalvo; her step-mother, Criselda Bartz; her siblings, Zak Bartz, Amanda (Montalvo) Prange, Joshua Montalvo, and Megan (Montalvo) Roberts; her dog, Pinto; and her cat, Olympia.
The Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, December 12th from 5 pm to 7 pm at Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home, 201 W Carroll St, Macomb, Il The funeral will be held on Saturday, December 13th at 10:30 at Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home.
Donations can be made to: Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, Attn: In Memory of Mariah Bartz Merino, 290 Turnpike Road, Suite 5-315, Westborough, MA 01581.
Please sign guestbbok or leave condolences at www.dodsworthfh. com
