John R. Meier
October 25, 1936 — June 9, 2007
After a lengthy two-year battle, a severe form of melanoma cancer claimed the life of John Richard Meier on Saturday, June 9, 2007. John had fought valiantly, traveling frequently to Houston for treatment at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. John was born October 25, 1936 in Pontiac, Illinois. His parents "Hub" and Arta Meier lived in the small town of Dwight where John grew up and g...
After a lengthy two-year battle, a severe form of melanoma cancer claimed the life of John Richard Meier on Saturday, June 9, 2007. John had fought valiantly, traveling frequently to Houston for treatment at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. John was born October 25, 1936 in Pontiac, Illinois. His parents "Hub" and Arta Meier lived in the small town of Dwight where John grew up and graduated from high school. He enlisted in the Air Force and eventually was assigned to Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, NM. During that assignment he met Sharon Scates of Albuquerque. They were Wed, January 24, 1960 and moved to Las Cruces at that time to attend New Mexico State University. John graduated from NMSU with both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. His career began at White Sands Missile Range as a co-op student. He remained at WSMR and subsequently worked for several organizations within Range Control. After officially "retiring" he worked at Lockheed Martin for five years before retiring once more to become the business manager of his wife's consulting Company. John and Sharon were married over forty-seven years. John's two children Mary Kristine, John Paul, and grandchildren were the apple of his eye. He enjoyed seeing them in their various stages of development. "Opa" was a jokester, teaser, and good buddy. He loved surprises and finding just the right gift for his family for each occasion. Any trip with Opa was certainly a highlight that produced m...
After a lengthy two-year battle, a severe form of melanoma cancer claimed the life of John Richard Meier on Saturday, June 9, 2007. John had fought valiantly, traveling frequently to Houston for treatment at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. John was born October 25, 1936 in Pontiac, Illinois. His parents "Hub" and Arta Meier lived in the small town of Dwight where John grew up and graduated from high school. He enlisted in the Air Force and eventually was assigned to Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, NM. During that assignment he met Sharon Scates of Albuquerque. They were Wed, January 24, 1960 and moved to Las Cruces at that time to attend New Mexico State University. John graduated from NMSU with both a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. His career began at White Sands Missile Range as a co-op student. He remained at WSMR and subsequently worked for several organizations within Range Control. After officially "retiring" he worked at Lockheed Martin for five years before retiring once more to become the business manager of his wife's consulting Company. John and Sharon were married over forty-seven years. John's two children Mary Kristine, John Paul, and grandchildren were the apple of his eye. He enjoyed seeing them in their various stages of development. "Opa" was a jokester, teaser, and good buddy. He loved surprises and finding just the right gift for his family for each occasion. Any trip with Opa was certainly a highlight that produced many wonderful memories. John is survived by his wife, Sharon Meier of Las Cruces, daughter Mary Kristine Terrazas; granddaughters Antonia Ruth and Isabella Carolina all of Carrollton, Texas; his son John Paul Meier and wife Karen, grandson John Raymond and granddaughter, Tara Ashley Meier of Grafenwoehr, Germany. his sister, Margaret and husband Darrell Hansen, Paul Hansen, Jay and Linda Hansen, Dean and Amy Hansen; and a great niece and nephews of Dwight, Illinois. Other survivors include mother-in-law Ruth Lord; close family friends Sylvia Paredes, Carl and Charlene Conlee and Tim and Mary Lou Arend, all of Las Cruces. He was a member of First Baptist Church. John was keenly interested in the Melanoma research being conducted by his two doctors, Merrick Ross and Wen Jen Hwu. In lieu of flowers the family has requested that memorial gifts be made to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center, PO Box 4486, Houston, TX. 77210-4486. 1-800-525-5841 or 713-792-3450. E-Mail address is as follows giving@mdanderson.org A service to celebrate John's life will be held at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 at First Baptist Church with Dr. Maurice Hollingsworth officiating. The U.S. Air Force will provide military honors. PDF Printable Version
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