Cleo Evelyn Boyer Meek, 100, of Sebastian, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on April 11, 2016.
She is survived by her five children: Phyllis Adamson of DeWitt, Iowa, Melinda Smoldt (Jim) of Reinbeck, Iowa, Dana Caldwell of Cypress,Texas, David Meek (Frances) of Sebastian, Suzanne Foxman of Alameda, Calif.; step-brother Duncan (Butch) Boyer; grandchildren: Brenda Adamson Rambo, Daniel Smoldt, Robert Smoldt, Michelle Caldwell, Scott Meek, Joshua Meek, Nathaniel Meek, Kellyn Foxman, Samantha Foxman; and her great-grandchildren Dane Rambo, Joseph and Jacob Smoldt, Brock and Jaxson Meek, Alexia Meek, and Nicholas and Ashley Smoldt.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Bill; her parents; her brother Thomas (Bill) Ewing Boyer; her firstborn grandson Michael Adamson; son-in-law Edward Adamson; and her beloved mother and father-in-law, Grace and C.J. Meek.
Meek was born in Duncah, Okla., on Dec. 11, 1915, to Henry Clay Boyer and Myrtle Lilly Boyer.
She came from a long line of early pioneers and revolutionary patriots who fought to help free the colonies from oppressive British rule and sacrificed so much to settle our great nation.
After graduating high school she enrolled in McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. It was there that she met the man she would spend the next 74 years with: William Wendell (Bill) Meek. They married on Aug. 2, 1935 in Sayre, Okla., and began their lifelong journey together. Through the bond of so many years, their happiness was doubled and their hardships were halved. They saw the world in each other.
In April 1936, they moved to Washington, D.C. where Bill accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and she found employment with the U.S. Naval Department.
Meek had a busy post greeting and assisting visitors to the Navy Department. Many unexpected visitors would stop and make inquiries at her desk. It was in this way that she met and spoke with Eleanor Roosevelt . During World War II, while Bill was serving with the Navy in the Philippines, she held down the home front, worked for the draft board in Wheeler, Texas and lovingly cared for their first two daughters, Phyllis and Melinda.
She miraculously found time to make her own patterns, sew and give her daughters lovely new dresses to wear, on a budget. She was very resourceful and it was her keen ability to “make do’ without grousing that pulled her growing family through lean times. She remained a first rate seamstress and continued to create clothing for her grandchildren also.
The war over, the Meek’s moved back to live in the growing suburban area of Washington, D.C. Now with a family of five, Meek became a true homemaker, using her countless skills and talents to give her family a pleasant home. She appreciated the beauty of nature and could name all of the Virginia trees and flowering shrubs, knew all of the neighbors and tried to read the editorial page every day to keep abreast of the world at large.
Meek was a talented cook, a den mother and a Girl Scout leader. She had real energy. She also volunteered her time to those who needed help in the community. She had a calm mind and seldom lost her composure. She knew how to handle an emergency with deliberate cool from squirrel bites to sledding accidents, fractures and BB gun mishaps, she saved the day … and made it look easy.
Always a creative entertainer, and as the wife of a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department, Meek arranged many dinner parties that literally brought the world of Foreign Service and Diplomacy home. She accepted invitations to the White House to meet several first ladies during the years spent in Washington.
Meek was as comfortable making lemonade for her own family as she was sitting for tea with Pat Nixon.
She and Bill retired and moved to Houston, Texas in 1975. They purchased a motorhome and traveled, exploring places that interested them and visited friends along the way. Their trips took them to Colorado, California, the Great Lakes, Canada and all points in between. She especially loved visiting her daughters, Melinda and Phyllis, and her grandchildren in Iowa.
One of Meek’s passions was collecting antiques and she found many lovely pieces as she traveled. She was an inexhaustible shopper and bargain hunter who never came home empty handed. Her home was very important to her and she expressed her creative talent through it. She enjoyed decorating and crafts; each year’s Christmas tree held many ornaments that she had made by hand, sometimes putting family to work on the elves production line. Holidays were big events in the Meek household and she never disappointed with her delicious cooking and beautiful presentations. Floral arrangements were one of her favorite hobbies and she excelled at it.
In 1983, ready to try something new, she and Bill moved to Hutchinson Island in Florida. They loved their new condo lifestyle and everyone came to spend time with them there.
Meek never failed to make her home a comfortable place for her guests. Always an “early bird,” she’d be up brewing coffee and making waffles for everyone before their feet hit the floor. For many decades, she loved to play Bridge, often winning the pot. She enjoyed the game with her friends, hosted many bridge parties and more recently found a new favorite, Rummikub.
She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who tirelessly and unselfishly nurtured and cared for her family. She was blessed with so many qualities: kindness honesty, humility, humor, a gentle helpful spirit and a surprising sardonic wit. The world was made a better place by her presence in it. We will feel her absence and miss her very much.
We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to Cleo’s wonderful caregivers, Lonetta Jean Charles and Teresa Brown for their dedicated care. You truly treated our mother with love and respect. Finally, a most heartfelt thank you for all the unselfish, devoted loving care given our mother by our brother, David Meek and our sister-in-law, Frances Meek over the past six years. Cleo was a special lady and she will be greatly missed. We love you. Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so to the charity of your choice.
A time of sharing by family and friends will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 2 p.m. at the Cox Gifford Seawinds Fuenral Home Chapel, 1950 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960. Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice. A guestbook can be signed at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.