Obituary as published in Pioneer Press-Thursday November 29, 2018
Meyers
John “Jack”
Age 87
Of Maplewood
Passed away on November 23, 2018. Retired after 32 years with NW Bell/At&T. Preceded in death by infant son John Francis. Survived by wife of 64 plus years, Addie (nee Koehnen); children AnnMarie Spinner (Roger), Michael (Deb) and Paul (Amy); grandchildren Nicholas Spinner, Jeff Spinner (Jess), Sydney Meyers, Nick Johnson, Noelle Meyers and Amanda Meyers; sisters Karleen McGrath (Larry) and Nancy Mary (Jim). Mass of Christian Burial Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 10:00 am at SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH, 840 East 6th Street with visitation one hour before the Mass. Please wear patriotic colors to the Mass. Private interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery. The family would like to thank HealthPartners Hospice Team 8 for their loving care of Jack.

LifeStory

John Fred Meyers: Jack was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 26, 1931. He was one of three children to Fred and Linnea Meyers. John graduated from Johnson High School, St. Paul and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduation. While in the Marines, he served as a Drill Sergeant during the Korean War. Upon arriving back to the US, Jack came across the love of his life on her 21st birthday. Her name was Adeline Koehnen and he was smitten with her from their first kiss. Jack proposed to Addie within 2 months of meeting and he married her within 6 months. They were married at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in St. Paul, on February 27, 1954. After getting married, they lived in a place off of Arcade Street in St. Paul and began attending Sacred Heart Catholic Parish. They began raising their children and moved to a home off of Minnehaha Avenue, Maplewood. Jack worked in the offices of Northwestern Bell Company (now AT&T) but requested to get out of the offices and do more labor type work. He then became a trained installer for them and worked in that department for over 32 years. Jack was a dedicated Catholic and happily gave his love and time to his church. He was as charitable as they come and donated to local charities. As a proud Marine, Jack was involved in many veterans’ organizations including the North St. Paul VFW Post 1350, American Legion Post #39 and the DAV. In April of 2018, he was accompanied by his son, Paul, on the Honors Flight to Washington D.C. Outside of work, church, and the military, he was a true outdoorsman. Jack enjoyed hunting pheasants, grouse, and deer. He was an active member of the NRA. He had a huge vegetable garden that kept Addie busy with canning. For dinner, it was not uncommon to have a meal of things that Jack grew and hunted. He also enjoyed camping, going up to the North Shore, fishing, and hiking. He was known for his long hikes and even hiked the Grand Canyon. He and Addie loved to travel and went all over the United States. For the last ten years, they were snow birds down in Lake Havasu, Arizona. A particularly favorite trip was their 50th anniversary when they went to Walt Disney World with the entire family. His family meant the absolute world to him and he loved to spend time with them. When his boys were younger, he was a baseball and hockey coach for them. His name to fame was one season where his hockey team won 19 games straight. As a drill sergeant in the military, he was pretty good at being stern and serious for sports. When the grandkids were over, Jack loved to talk with them, and play Dominos or Poker. He was a wonderful man who will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Jack is preceded in death by his baby boy, John Francis. He is survived by his wife of almost 65 years, Adeline “Addie” (nee Koehnen) of Maplewood; his children, AnnMarie (Roger) Spinner of Lino Lakes, Michael (Deb) Meyers of White Bear Lake, and Paul (Amy) Meyers of Oak Grove; his grandchildren, Nick Spinner, Jeff (Jess) Spinner, Sydney Meyers, Noelle Meyers, Nick Johnson, and Amanda Meyers; his sisters, Karleen McGrath of Alaska and Nancy Mary of California; and many other family and friends