William “Bill” R. Meyer
MEYER, PURVIS, BESSAC, MISCHLER, FLETCHER, KLENDWORTH
Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 8/6/2020 at 13:40:28
William “Bill” R. Meyer, 70, formerly of Sabula, IA, died peacefully on Friday, July 31, 2020 at home in Solon, IA.
A committal service with Military Honors will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, August 6 at Rock Island National Cemetery in Rock Island, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the Heritage Church also located in Rock Island.
Bill was born on November 21, 1949 in Lansing, MI, the son of Oliver and Winona (Purvis) Meyer.
He was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, stationed at Edwards Air Force Base California and abroad in Great Britain and Germany where he worked on radar equipment. While in the service he developed a love of British sports cars, a passion for sailplanes and a love of woodworking.
Bill met Mary Lou Bessac through their church activities and became engaged while canning tomatoes, a passion they shared for the rest of their time together. They were wed January 14, 1978 at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Millwaukee, WI. Bill and Mary had three children, Michelle, Cherisa, and Timothy.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in industrial technology. He worked as a General Engineer for the Department of Defense (DOD), retiring as Chief of the Design Engineering and Testing Facility for the RDECOM-Edgewood Chemical Biological Center – Rock Island Site after 25 years of civilian service through the U.S Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM). He received the Commander’s award for civil service and the Superior Civilian Service awards. In his spare time, he invented Cre-Away, a chimney cleaner, that he produced and sold.
Bill enjoyed ushering at Heritage Church followed by Sunday brunch with family, Brewing Wine, growing fruit trees and traveling to his condo in Florida. He enjoyed the little things in life like playgrounds with his grandkids, pontoon rides, family barbecues, drinking coffee and watching the Mississippi River from his bluff home. His love for wood working led him to make walnut bases for stained glass chess boards. He was always up for a rousing political or religious discussion, a game of chess, bowling with family, or playing the family card games 500 and Sheepshead. Bill liked his quiet time, so he always had a bowl of suckers and grapes ready for his grandchildren to help keep the noise level down and make them smile. He loved the Sabula country life and renovating his beautiful home.
Bill is survived by his children, Michelle (Gregory) Mischler, Cherisa (Shaun) Meyer-Fletcher, and Timothy (Jennifer) Meyer; eight grandchildren, Arthur, Samuel, Benjamin, MaryJane, Alyssa, Dylan, Zoey, and Quinn; three brothers, Donald (Linda) Meyer, Stanley (Hilda) Meyer, and Charles (Eugenia) Meyer, special friend Pam Klendworth and many extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Lou Meyer in 1998, and his parents, Oliver and Winona Meyer.
Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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