Richard E Meyer

Richard Emil Meyer (93) passed away at Heritage Care Center in Fairbury on Wednesday, July 8, 2015. He was born to Emil and Margaret (Gillit) Meyer on October 17, 1921, by cesarean section on the kitchen table at the family home in rural Murdock, Nebraska.

He lived in Cass County until the age of four when the family moved to Lincoln where his father accepted a position with Henkle and Joyce Hardware. Richard had memories of riding the street car with his mother to the hardware store after hours, where he helped sort horseshoes. Because Emil was fluent in German, he was the perfect salesperson for the southern Nebraska territory; and in 1928, the family relocated to Fairbury.

Richard graduated from Fairbury High School in 1939 and attended Peru State College. During his employment as a camp counselor at Camp Jefferson, he met his future wife Carolynn (Petty) Clark from Diller. Before being drafted by the Army in 1942, Richard proposed; and a wedding date was set for after his return from overseas. As an x-ray technician, Richard served in Africa and Italy for three years before returning home in January 1946. Richard and Petty were married on June 12, 1946, and built their home on North H Street, where they raised their two children.

Licensed as a funeral director for 65 years, Richard entered the mortuary business with Harold Laipply in 1946; later he joined Harold Nuckolls and established Nuckolls-Meyer Funeral Home. He and Petty were tremendous supporters of Fairbury and had a deep interest in preserving the history of the community. A member of the Fairbury Christian Church for nearly 90 years, Richard committed many hours to the ’23 Foundation Board, Fairbury School Board, Lions’ Club, Elks’ Club, Education Service Unit #5, and Masons during his lifetime.

Blessed with a phenomenal memory for detail, Richard enjoyed relating stories about his family, Fairbury, his visits with grandparents in Elmwood and Murdock, and his time in the service. His hobbies included reading, attending auctions, collecting antiques and die-cast model cars, and following the activities of his grandchildren. He enjoyed visiting with others which served him well during his stay in Cedarwood Assisted Living and Heritage Nursing Home. He faithfully sent greeting cards to family and friends and thoroughly enjoyed sharing his musical talent by playing the piano and singing duets at Heritage.

Survivors include daughter Kristyn Shrader (Kurk), Elmwood, Nebraska; son, Jeff Meyer (Beverly) of Fairbury; grandchildren, Sara Forsgren (CJ), Fairbury; Mikaela Collins (Brandon), Elmwood; Ethan Meyer (Sarah), Hutchinson, Minnesota; and Trenton Shrader (Karen), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; great grandchildren, Sophie Collins, Grace Meyer, and Archer Forsgren; sister, Carlene Andrew, Auburn; nephews, Richard Andrew (Jane), Mark Andrew (Beth); and nieces, Cindy O’Donnell (Mike) and Lisa Zwiers (Doug).

He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolynn; parents, Emil and Margaret Meyer, great grandson Landon Shrader, and brother-in-law Kenneth Andrew.

Services are at 2:00 pm Saturday July 11, 2015 at the First Christian Church in Fairbury. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 pm Friday July 10th at the Funeral Home in Fairbury. Memorials will go to the Family's Choice. Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.