Erwin Meyer

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery east of Canyon, followed by a memorial service at 3:00 PM at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Canyon with Pastor John Elser, VA Chaplain, officiating. Erwin Meyer, the youngest child of Henry Meyer and Helene Albers Meyer, was born on a farm east of Canyon in a German Lutheran community on May 3, 1919. His immigrant parents raised seven children on this farm, which was not immune to the Great Depression. His early education was in a one room school on the highway leading to Palo Duro Canyon. As a young man, Erwin helped build the dam at Buffalo Lake which was a WPA project during the depression. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps just before the beginning of WWII and married Annie May Spencer. He attained the rank of Staff Sargent and was a crew chief while stationed at Randolph Field in San Antonio. After the war, he and his growing family returned to the Canyon area to farm a half section of land near Buffalo Lake which he was able to purchase under the GI bill. There he and Annie May raised four children in a house that he built. Unfortunately, this coincided with the drought of the 1950"s and times were tough on the dry land farm. Eventually they sold the farm and moved to Canyon where he worked for the Texas Highway Department until retirement. The second half of Erwin and Annie May"s life was spent in a beautiful cabin that Erwin built overlooking Lake Meredith. They enjoyed this time immensely and were able to take numerous trips all over the United States. Erwin was a devoted husband for almost 67 years. He was a wonderful father to three daughters and one son. He set a good example for his children with his strong work ethic, and he, like all farmers of that era, worked from sunup to sundown. His gentle way and his genuine concern for his family and friends is his legacy, which his children proudly remember. He was preceded in death by his wife Annie, his parents, and all his siblings. Survivors include four children, Janie Ray of Channing, Erwin Henry Meyer, Jr. and wife Janiece of Austin, Nancy Mooring and husband Jim of Amarillo, and Sarah Beth Jarrett of Canyon, as well as eight grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. The family would like to extend special thanks to the wonderful staff of Hospice Care of the Southwest and Phillas Rich who took such wonderful care of him. Suggested memorials are St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2600 4th Avenue, Canyon, TX 79015, or Hospice Care of the Southwest, 1301 S. Coulter, Ste. 404, Amarillo, TX 79106.