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Leroy F. Meister, 71, of Marathon passed away suddenly on May 30, 2023 at his home in Spencer.
Leroy Francis Meister was born in Emmetsburg, on Oct. 10, 1952 to the late Dorothy and Harold Meister of Fonda. He grew up north of Laurens where he worked on his family farm and raised Holstein cows. He graduated from Fonda High School in 1970.
After high school, Leroy enlisted and honorably served as Specialist SP4 in the U.S. Army from 1971-79. He completed basic training at Fort Lenard in Wood, Mo., where he served as an Ammunition Storage Specialist to the 50th Ordinance Company at Fort Carson, Colo. from 1971-75 and Supply Clerk Specialist in Ansbach, Germany, from 1975-79 where he concluded his military service and returned to Iowa.
Leroy resided in Northwest Iowa for the remainder of his adult life. He worked a variety of full-time jobs working as gardener for Joyce’s Greenery, production worker at Bil-Mar Foods (Sara Lee) and nightly floor setup engineer at Walmart in Storm Lake. Leroy enjoyed woodworking and often created model replica sailing ships and world maps with stunning detail for family and friends. He enjoyed playing harmonica, collecting western and war related DVD movies and playing Farkle. Leroy was an avid sports fan and loved to spend time walking his dog.
Leroy married Kathleen Jackson of Laurens in 2003 and they lived in Sioux Rapids. Following Kathy’s death, Leroy lived with his late brother Dan Meister, Marathon, and temporarily transitioned due to health reasons to Fonda Nursing Home and a short time at the assistive living facility, WEL-Life at Alta. He moved to Spencer in 2022 and transitioned back to living independently and kept active with his neighbors.
Leroy was preceded in death by his parents; wife Kathy Meister; and his brother, Dan.
He is survived by his brothers: Steve Meister of Waterloo; Frank (Jeff) Meister of Chicago, Ill.; and his sister, Angie (Joe) Mckenna of Storm Lake.
Leroy will be dearly missed by his family and friends. He never met a stranger; every person in the world was just a friend he hadn't met yet.
A private family memorial is planned for the future with burial at Calvary Cemetery, Laurens.
