Colonel and Mrs. William Wafford Merrell (Ret.) announce the engagement of their daughter, Marie Ainsworth Merrell, to Charles Douglas Ladd of Brandon.
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Barbara Arnold Day of Jackson and the late Frank Rogers Day, and the late Dr. Kenneth Noel Reed Jr., and Marie Saucier Merrell and the late Dr. Wafford Humphries Merrell Jr. of Brandon.
The prospective bridegroom is the son of Colonel and Mrs. Gary Douglas Ladd of Brandon. He is the grandson of the late Charles Ralph Smith and Lois Slaton Smith of Wesson, and Douglas Floyd Ladd and the late Francis Mobley Ladd of Huntsville.
Miss Merrell is a 2016 graduate of Jackson Preparatory School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry with a minor in society and health from the University of Mississippi in 2020, where she was a member of Chi Omega fraternity, a Provost scholar, and a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College graduate. After college, she went on to receive her master’s in biomedical sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 2021. Following her graduate studies, Miss Merrell worked as a psychometrist at Methodist Rehabilitation Center before being accepted to Tulane University School of Medicine in 2023, where she is currently completing her third year. Alongside her medical studies, she enjoys taking art courses at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts.
Ladd is a 2017 graduate of Northwest Rankin High School, where he distinguished himself as a 6A State Champion in men’s soccer. He graduated from Mississippi State University, in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and on the Dean’s List.
Following graduation, Ladd began his professional career with Stryker’s Endoscopy Division in Memphis. He later returned to Jackson, where he led onsite operations as a team lead. In 2025, he was promoted and relocated to New Orleans, where he now serves as a clinical representative for Stryker’s Mako and Spine Enabling Technologies division.
The couple will exchange vows on December 27 at Board of Trade New Orleans.
