Lester Louis Meier

Lester Louis Meier, age 80 years of Belden, Nebraska died on Thursday, July 12, 2018 at the Providence Medical Center in Wayne, Nebraska. Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Laurel, Nebraska with the Rev. Isaac Chua officiating. Burial will be at the Belden Cemetery in Belden, Nebraska. Visitation will be on Monday, at church, from 6-8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to services on Tuesday. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Laurel. Pallbearers will be Wayne Denklau, Lee Baumert, Rich Roland, Kelvin Wurdeman, Andrew Wurdeman, and Tyler Wurdeman. Honorary pallbearers will be Lester’s grandchildren. Lester Louis Meier was born on August 6, 1937 in Salem, Oregon to Louis and Edna (Oaks) Meier. He lived in Oregon for a short time and then moved back to Nebraska. He graduated from Hartington High School in 1951. After graduation he served in the U.S. Navy from 6/301955 to 6/26/1958. He lived on the U.S.S. Sarsfield DD-837 ship for three years. Lester married Julia “Judy” Fae Roland on June 5, 1960 at the Methodist church in Laurel. They moved to Laurel where Lester worked for Digger Well for 4-5 years and then worked for McLain Oil Company (owned by Bob & Mary McLain) as a mechanic for 45 years. After the station closed, Lester farmed with Gary Stapelman for a few years and then for Ron Stapelman before retiring. Lester was a member of the United Methodist church. He collected toy trucks and cars and loved putting puzzles together. He often would sit on his front porch to read his Westerns and watch the traffic go by. Lester is survived by his wife Judy who is a Parkview Haven N.H. in Coleridge; a son Bruce (Litzie) Meier of Belden; daughter Vickie (Quico) Andrade of Norfolk, NE; nine grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; daughter-in-law Karen Meier of Wisner, NE; son-in-law Bob Hamilton of Randolph, NE; one sister Ida Thorndyke of Coleridge; sister-in-law Betty Meier of Norfolk, NE. He was preceded in death by his parents, three children – infant daughter Diana Lynn, son Steve Meier, daughter Cindy Hamilton; grandson Drake Adrian Meier; brother-in-law Norman Thorndyke; brother John Meier.