Lawrence Joseph Meyers was born on March 12, 1924, to Mr. Johannes (Joseph) and Mrs. Geertje (Gertrude) Meyers at their home in Reeman, MI. He was 1 of 42 students that graduated from Hudsonville High School in June of 1942. The following autumn, he began courses at Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was only at MSU for two terms when he was drafted to serve in World War II. He subsequently began specialized and lengthy trainings on April 15, 1943.
Lawrence served as a Forward Observer with the ranking of Sargent First Class in the Headquarters 26th Infantry Division, 104th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Army. He arrived by ship to Cherbourg, France (Normandy) in September 1944, where he quickly moved through northern France and crossed the Saar River into Germany by early December. He served in the Battle of the Bulge (the third-deadliest campaign in American history), the capture of Linz, and many other major WWII army campaigns. On May 5th, 1945, Lawrence and his Regiment overran the Gusen concentration camp in Austria, liberating some 20,000 prisoners. After this liberation, he headed eastward to Czechoslovakia. Eventually, he made it back to Camp Atterbury (IL) and was bussed back to his family in Hudsonville, MI. He was a recipient of the following Military Medals: Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, for acts of valor in combat; Army Good Conduct Medal; World War II Victory Medal; Army Sharpshooter (Carbine Rifle); European Campaign with Four Major Battles Medal; Army of Germany Occupation Medal; and WWII American Campaign Medal.
Upon discharge from WWII, Lawrence went back to MSU to complete his degree. On January 25, 1947, Lawrence met his future wife Ruth (Lillian) Meyers, who was also a student at MSU, at a local skating rink named the Palomar Roller Gardens in East Lansing, MI. After graduating, he proposed to his soulmate Ruth at his family’s cottage on Lake Huron in Caseville, MI. After graduating from MSU, they married on June 14, 1949 and made their home in Hudsonville, MI. They had 5 children: Larry (deceased 2019), Charlotte (Tom, deceased 2020) Henderson, Joe, Jim (Renee), and John (Natalia). He is the grandfather of Anne (Dillon), Bonnie, Patricia, Dave (Betty), Bill, Heather, Jeff (Amber), Mike (Kristy), Shan (Yenny) and Samuel. He also has 8 great-grandchildren. Lawrence and Ruth raised their children in Kalamazoo, MI, Rochester, NY, Ann Arbor, MI, West Bloomfield, MI, and Centerville, OH.
Lawrence had an impressive and extensive professional career where he worked on major engineering projects for various corporations. He began his professional career at Kellogg Company and Hammond Roto-Finish where he worked on machinery design. He later moved his family to New York to pursue a position at Bausch and Lomb, working on specialized optic lens design and production. He then moved the family back to Michigan to be with Bendix Aerospace Systems Division, where he worked on special projects for many United States agencies, including NASA’s Apollo Program. He transferred to Bendix in Dayton, OH where he continued development projects for the U.S. government. He retired from Bendix but continued his professional career at Spectra-Physics and Systems Research Laboratories, both in Ohio.
Once he retired, Lawrence and Ruth spent much of their time traveling to Europe, United Kingdom, Alaska, and other various cities and national parks across the United States. They loved to visit their sons and grandchildren in Metro-Detroit, Charleston, and Phoenix. They enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren in Michigan, attending family reunions and making it to every birthday party and their vacations in Northern Michigan. Lawrence especially shared a close bond with his grandchildren- by reading to them, teaching them how to fish, play tennis, or by playing tic-tac-toe with his pocket notebook and pen (which he never left the house without!). Lawrence and Ruth were both active members of the Fairhaven Church as well as the Lion’s Club, located in Centerville, OH.
Lawrence is preceded in death by his devoted and exceptional wife of 68 years, Ruth (deceased 2018); his son Larry; his parents, Joseph and Gertrude Meyers; and his siblings, Arlene (Raymond) Wyngarden, Henrietta (Howard) Hamburg, and Wilma (Stanley) Veltema. He joined his wife and family in heaven on October 25, 2022.
Lawrence was a phenomenal storyteller- many friends and family have heard his stories about his time in WWII. He even wrote a narrative about his service. If you would like to listen to some of his stories, please click on this link: WWII Veteran Larry Meyers - YouTube.
Visitation will be held on Friday, November 4, 2022 from 12:00p-1:00p at Fairhaven Church, 637 E. Whipp Rd, Centerville, OH 45459. A funeral service will follow, beginning at 1:00p. Burial service will be held at David’s Cemetery, 4600 Mad River Road, Kettering, Ohio 45429.
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