Ervin Steven MEYER

MEYER, LEU, SEGEBART, HUNTER, FERCH, BALCOM, FRIEDRICHSEN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:46

Ervin Steven Meyer
October 31, 1947 ---- 25 July 2021

Ervin “Steve” Meyer, 73, most recently of Meservey and formerly of Belmond, died July 25, 2021 at the Good Shepherd Heath Care Center in Mason City. Service were held July 29 at First Reformed Church in Meservey. Burial with military honors was in the Belmond Cemetery.

Ervin Steve, the only son of Albert Christian and Erna Louise Leu Meyer, was born in Des Moines on Oct. 31, 1947. He grew up in the Malvern area and attended Malvern Public Schools. He later completed his GED through Iowa Lakes Community College. In 1965, at age 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Omaha and graduated from boot camp before his 18th birthday. For the next four years he proudly and fiercely served his country during the Viet Nam War, spending part of his tenure on the front lines of combat zones. He fulfilled many roles and received many commendations including National Defense Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Combat Action Medal with Device, Vietnamese Service Medal with Four Stars, and Vietnamese Campaign Medal with Device. He specialized as a field artillery battery man. Steve was honorably discharged as a private after serving four years active duty and two years in the reserves.

Ervin married Carol Jean Segebart on April 17, 1970 at Sioux Falls. This union brought three children into the world: son Steve, daughter Patricia, and son John (and deceased daughter Sandra).

Steve and Carol raised their children in various places as Steve followed his career in meat packing, including Glenwood, Missouri, Omaha and Montana. He later became a professional long haul trucker and drove until his health would no longer allow it.

Steve had a wide array of interests. He was very active until his health declined due to Agent Orange exposure from his years in the military. Despite his health concerns, he still loved to spend time on his computer, tour the countryside with John, make treks to auctions, collect western and old memorabilia, and shoot guns. He looked forward to blasting fireworks of all kinds and attending fireworks extravaganzas. Steve and Carol enjoyed concerts and shared this love with their kids, taking them to many shows. He loved all kinds of music and artists, from Alabama to the Bellamy Brothers and everything in between. He loved the wide array of shows of the NIACC Performing Arts Series and small venues such as the Diamond Jo Casino and others,

Steve loved to travel. He and Carol took RV trips to Mexico and Texas. He loved to fly and had taken his kids to experience the adventure of the blue sky with him in planes and even Huey helicopters. Flying radio-controlled aircraft was also a passion. Steve had a lifelong fondness for photography and had taken thousands of photos. He still had his camera from his military days and had taken countless pictures of his tenure. He loved his four-legged friends, and after losing sidekick Charlie in March of this year, he decided he needed a new dog and ended up with his buddy Zena. He had been active over the years in several VFW posts and served for a time as commander of the Belmond Post. He was proud that he earned an online pastoral degree. He was fortunate to have two of his children in the area in recent years who were diligent and dedicated caregivers, and his son-in-law Mike was his “escape artist” orchestrater.

Ervin was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents; wife Carol; daughter Sandra Lee Hunter; and his in-laws’ spouses.

He is survived by his children Steven Allen Meyer of Tiptonville, TN, Patricia (Mike) Ferch of Clear Lake, and John Meyer of Belmond; grandchildren Alex Meyer of Clear Lake and Daniel Balcom of Sherburn, MN; in-laws Bill Segebart of Council Bluffs and Charles Segebart of Schleswig; and sister-in-law Ruby Friedrichsen of Denison.