Stephen H. Meyer

Stephen H. Meyer, age 80 of Charles City, passed away on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Charles City, with Father Tom Heathershaw leading the Mass.

Interment with military honors provided by the VFW Ralph Nicholson Post 6792 of Nashua will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Charles City.

Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the church before the Mass.

Steve was born on May 29, 1944, to Joseph and Stella (Mauer) Meyer in Charles City. The “middle child” of the Meyer’s five children, Steve grew up in Charles City and discovered a lifelong passion for sports. He played basketball and baseball at Immaculate Conception High School, where he was a member of the Class of 1962.

Following graduation, he enlisted in the Navy, which was a natural for Steve because he loved the water. He served his country honorably for four years and was a member of a naval high dive team.

After his discharge, he moved back to Iowa and started his career as a dental lab tech, creating crowns and bridges that he took a lot of pride in creating.

On March 14, 1980, Steve married Ginger Pyle in Charles City, and he became a father to Ginger’s son, Jason, and two years later,  the couple welcomed a daughter, Brianna. Although Steve and Ginger later divorced, they remained good friends, and they took part in many family functions – from birthdays to holidays – together.

In 1989, he moved to San Jose, California, and Steve loved the warmth of Cali for 14 years before moving back to Iowa in 2003, continuing his work as dental lab technician until he retired in 2011.

Steve was, to put it mildly, a diehard Iowa Hawkeye fan, enough so that there were times when he had to walk away from the TV for a bit to save wear and tear on his heart, but thankfully, he was able to enjoy one last Hawkeye football victory, watching it with his brother Tom, on the final day of his life.

His Catholic faith was very important to Steve, he taught CCD and was a Eucharistic minister. He was a member of Immaculate Conception, where he attended Mass on a regular basis and was active with the Knights of Columbus.

In retirement, Steve remained active in his community. When it was IC’s turn to deliver Meals on Wheels, he was the organizer of the program, and he did the same thing each year with the Knights of Columbus’ Red Rose Memorial Ceremony. He also was active in the Knights’ annual Tootsie Roll Campaign and also enjoyed helping cut up the fish during the Knights of Columbus yearly Fish Fry.

Living in the same city as Brianna’s children, Steve excelled as a grandpa. He rarely, if ever, missed his grandchildren’s events, be it a school program, concert or a game, and his grandchildren knew a trip to Grandpa’s meant that ice cream was almost always in the cards.

He lived a long, good life, one in which he served his family, friends, community and country well, and Steve will be dearly missed.

Steve is survived by his children, Brianna (Chris) Freiberg of Charles City, and Jason (Valerie Fields) Meyer of Miamisburg, Ohio; grandchildren, Lydia, Ellie and Silas Freiberg and Cyrus and Gabriel Meyer; his siblings, Julie (Joe) Girkin of Aurora, Colorado, Tom (Shirley) Meyer of Des Moines, John (Joyce) Meyer of Waterloo, and Jim (Susan) Meyer of Phoenix; his ex-wife, Ginger Meyer of Charles City; and six nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Stella; his grandparents; and a brother, Edward in infancy.

Cards and memorials for Steve’s family can be mailed to Brianna Freiberg, 2539 Woodland Drive, Charles City, IA 50616.