Esther Meyer, age 89 of Sheldon, Iowa and formerly of Archer, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at the Sanford Sheldon Medical Center in Sheldon, Iowa. Her services will be at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon, Iowa with Rev. Milt Sikkema officiating.
Burial will be before the service at the East Lawn Cemetery in Sheldon, Iowa.
Visitation with the Family present will be from 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. on Monday, July 1, 2024 at the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon.
Arrangements are under the care of the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon.
Esther Nellie (Maassen) Meyer, the daughter of Henry and Anna Maassen, was born August 27, 1934 in Sheldon, Iowa. She grew up on the family farm northwest of Sheldon and graduated from Sheldon High School in 1951.
On June 18, 1953 she was united in marriage to Myron Meyer at the First Reformed Church in Sheldon. After their marriage the couple lived in Matlock for three years where Myron taught country school in Lyon County and then moved to Archer to raise their family.
The couple raised three sons and spent many hours attending school sporting and musical events. Throughout the years Esther enjoyed watching the teams that her sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren participated in or coached.
Their home was always filled with music. For many years she was the piano accompanist of the Archer Gospel Quartet, a male quartet of the Archer Reformed Church where Myron and Esther were active members. She played piano for services at the church for decades.
Esther also enjoyed playing games with her family and friends and completing puzzles of all kinds. She became an expert at solving sudoku and practically wore out the free cell on her computer. It’s believed that her competitive spirit has been handed down to her sons.
After Myron retired from teaching in 1989 the couple remained in Archer. Esther was very active in the Archer community. She served on the Archer City Council for several terms, published a monthly newsletter for the community and was responsible for updating the community sign board. She took a job as the postmaster at the Archer Post Office and held that position for many years as well.
Myron and Esther celebrated 60 years of marriage just prior to Myron’s passing in June 2013. Esther remained in her home in Archer and enjoyed sitting on her deck and watching the birds in her back yard. A series of falls and setbacks resulted in a residence at Fieldcrest Assisted Living in Sheldon in June 2023.
Esther was a relatively private individual as she aged but those who knew her best will remember her for the love she had for her family, her wit and for her resilience as she battled kidney disease as well as the transitions of aging. Every new life change was met with resolve and determination.
She is survived by her three sons, Bill and his wife, Roberta Meyer of Spencer; Mike Meyer of Orange City, and Roger Meyer and his husband Alan Whisman of Fort Thomas, KY; two grandchildren, Brent and his wife, Keri Meyer of Sioux Falls, SD and Becki Harris of Spencer; five great grandchildren, Paxton, Neely and Ebbie Meyer and Isabelle and Bentley Harris; two sisters, Wilma David of Penney Farms, FL and Helen Van Grouw of Redlands, CA, and other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and two sisters, Margaret Good and Lois Tifft.
