Obituary: Earl J. Meyers, 98, Of Ridgefield

Information and Photo Courtesy Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Earl J. Meyers, a 62-year resident of Ridgefield, died peacefully at Regional Hospice in Danbury on Saturday, July 8, at the age of 98 with family by his side. Born on February 8, 1925, to Bertha and Julius Meyers, he was raised in Bronx, NY with his sister Betty.

One of the last surviving veterans of WWII, in 1944 he joined the Army Air Corps, immediately out of high school, where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned as commander of a B24 Liberator bomber. Following his military service, he earned a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University and went on to a 40-year career working for Dupont, first as an engineer building manufacturing plants and later, in sales and marketing for the company’s polymer products division.

Earl met his wife, Carolyn, in Wilmington, DE where they both worked for Dupont and were active together in a community theater troupe. They married in 1957 and, subsequently, moved to Ridgefield in 1961 where they raised a family of three children and where the family home remains to this day. He was involved in the community, volunteering with the Boy Scouts, Jesse Lee Methodist Church, AARP tax assistance service, and many other community support projects. Always quick to lend a hand where needed, he would bring his tools and mechanical or financial skills to help whenever a request came from a friend or stranger alike.

Earl was a skier into his 90s, was a fixture at the Ridgefield Parks and Rec fitness center for just as long, and was an active member of the Ridgefield Men’s Club. He was an avid model train collector and a passionate fan of flying, traveling regularly to the annual EEA Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with members of his bomber crew well into his eighties.

His love of building, and his confidence to take on new challenges, led him to undertake the construction, with his young family, of a cherished Vermont log home that became a social centerpiece for family and friends alike for many years. In later years, his positive influence on his grandsons contributed immeasurably to the men they have become today.

Earl is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of 66 years, his children, Ken and Debbie Meyers of Duxbury, MA, Don and June Meyers of Nantucket, MA, and Barbara Kenney of Hingham, MA as well as his three grandsons, Parker Meyers of Brooklyn, NY, Nick Kenney of Quincy, MA and Luke Kenney of Hingham, MA.

Earl’s warm and gentle spirit made a century’s worth of contributions to making this world just a little bit better. He was loved by many and will be missed by all.

A memorial service celebrating his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 22 at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church in Ridgefield, followed by an interment of his ashes in the church columbarium with military honors. All are invited to join the family at a reception in Earl’s honor after the ceremony in the church carriage house.

The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the staff at both Keystone Place Memory Care and Regional Hospice of CT, both in Danbury, for the remarkable love and care that they gave to Earl as he completed the journey of his life.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Earl’s name to Regional Hospice of Danbury, or Keystone Place.