Richard Meyer

Richard Eugene Meyer, 89, passed away Saturday, October 9, 2021. Richard was born January 16, 1932 to Wallace and Helen Stern in Paw Paw, Illinois. Because of hard times, Richard, age 5, and brother Harold, age 7, moved in with their Uncle Bill and Aunt Ruth Meyer on the farm in Chana. Richard graduated from Ashton High School in 1949. He married Jane A. Christensen on January 26, 1952 at the Chana United Methodist Church where they met in the youth group. Together they raised four children on the family farm and hosted a foreign exchange student, Philip Morphew, from Australia in 1978-79. After high school, Richard drove truck for F/S out of Oregon until he was drafted into the US Army in 1952. He was stationed in Germany for seventeen months with the 690 Field Artillery Unit as a tractor driver for Howitzer artillery guns. After his service, Richard returned to the family dairy farm where he and Jane had a grade A herd of dairy cattle until 1968. He then worked as the maintenance man for the Oregon Schools until 1989. In 1987, Richard and Jane owned and operated Rochelle and Byron car washes, retiring after twenty years. Richard and Jane were members of the Blackhawk Twirlers Square Dance Club. They also traveled throughout and hiked within the national parks in the western US where they could walk the land and enjoy nature. They experienced a 381 mile long whitewater rafting trip on the Colorado River. They were fortunate to hike in and out of the Grand Canyon six times. Other trips included the Fairbanks area of Alaska, Sequoia National Park, Arches National Park and Banff National Park. They relaxed walking the beaches in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Richard traveled with his son, Duane, to Australia in 1999. In their later years, Richard and Jane were often found camping at local parks, Rock Cut State Park and Starved Rock State Park. Richard’s hobbies were restoring and showing Studebakers and maintaining his Allis-Chalmers tractors.

Survivors include his wife, Jane, of Chana; Daughter, Betti Jo (Cisco) Puentes of Sterling; Sons, Rick (Jodi) of Byron, Duane (Carolyn) of Stillman Valley, Jerry (Christina) of Oregon. Seven grandchildren: Erik, Mark, Duane, Brent, Jessica, Casey and Carynn. Ten great grandchildren: Addison, Hunter, Preston, Grayson, Emmy, Rhys, Corbin, Nolan, Quinn and Tucker. Aussie son Philip Morphew, wife Maria and their children, Oscar, Molly, Daisy and Hugo. Sister, Gloria Peters of East Moline. Predeceased by his parents, brother Harold Meyer and great grandson, Amos Meyer.
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date.
Memorials are established for Serenity Hospice and Home.