Gerald Meier

Gerald J. Meier, 68 of Sauk Centre, died peacefully on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at Quiet Oaks Hospice House in St. Augusta.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 25th from 4 to 8 p.m. at Patton-Schad Funeral Home and on Friday, August 26th from 9 to 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Parish prayers will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday evening.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26th at Saint Paul's Catholic Church in Sauk Centre. Interment will follow in the parish cemetery.

Gerald "Jerry" Meier was born in Elysian, MN on February 3, 1948. He was the oldest child of Clarence and Lorraine (Sieben) Meier. His mother proudly wrote "Dad got his little fisherman." His family lived in Mankato, Glenwood, and on a turkey farm. His best childhood memories were living near Fairy Lake in Sauk Centre, MN . His family had a little hobby farm and were a quick "get-away" from fishing, swimming, and exploring. This was also a tragic time for Jerry. His mother passed away in 1960 at the age of 34 leaving behind Jerry age 12, Gary age 10, Kathy age 7, and Jeff age 2 ½. Jerry became the "matriarch" of his family. His life was forever changed. His passion for cooking grew out of necessity. He would even bake bread from scratch! The family moved to their Grandma's house on Main Street in Sauk Centre, right next to the old Mickey's Market. They struggled and sadly his Dad passed away in 1970, only 10 years later.

After graduating from high school Jerry went on to earn a degree in Accounting at St. Cloud Area Vocational College. In 1968 he joined the MN National Guard and served for 14 years. He worked for an accounting firm in St. Cloud and lived there for eight years. He came back to Sauk Centre most weekends and would stay with his best friend Terry Merten's family. Soon he was coming back one night during the week also, this time to spend it with Terry's sister, Mary Kay!! Jerry and Mary Kay were married on September 21, 1974 at St. Paul's Church in Sauk Centre, MN. Jerry was a spiritual man and his faith was an important part of his life. The ceremony was beautiful and a great beginning to our life together.

Mary Kay had also obtained a degree in accounting. They were approached by Gordon Schneekloth, owner of "Froz-N-Foods" in Sauk Centre to move back from St. Cloud to their hometown and start their own accounting business. He felt the town needed one. We were told Ed Emmel was interested in selling his home on Main Street and it had the perfect set up for us. With no plans to buy a house, without looking at any other homes, we took a leap of faith, and became homeowners. It all fell into place and in May of 1975 Jerry's dream of having his own business came true. Meier Accounting began and is still flourishing. It has gone from two rooms as offices and the rest as a personal residence to eventually converting the whole house to business. The first few years were definitely tough. The phone wasn't ringing off the "hook." Jerry would trap mink and muskrats every year to provide a little extra money for special times. Of course, we had lots of fish to eat!!

On September 2, 1977 we were blessed with our daughter Kristi. She was always "Daddy's Little Girl." She loved to go any place he did, including fishing. They had a very special bond. Our family was completed when our son Jeremy was born on December 1, 1984. He shared Jerry's joy of plants, rocks, being in a boat on a lake, gardening, and cooking. They made salsa, canned tomatoes, and froze corn every year. They each developed their own style of cooking and spent lots of time in the kitchen. He couldn't have been prouder of his kids.

During the next years life was busy. Jerry was a very hard-working man. He was devoted to all his clients and did his best for them. He cared for them and many have become good friends. Some clients have been with us since we first began. They have been supportive through all the ups and downs life has given us. He was very grateful for their support. Jerry also had the privilege of being asked to join the Sauk Centre Lions Club. He was a dedicated member for 28 years, 23 of those years as Treasurer.

In 2007 he received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for dedicated humanitarian service and the President's Appreciation Award. In 2012 he received the Helen Keller Sight Award. He loved being a Lion and took pride in all the good they do for our community. The comradery of the guys was special to him. He also enjoyed being a member of the Sauk Centre Conservation Club and became very involved in their activities the last few years. He had hoped to spend much more time volunteering and to be more active in these clubs in his retirement years.

When his grandchildren came along, a softer side of Jerry appeared. He loved Kenna, Keaton, and Cannon with all his heart. By that time we were living in our lake home on Higgin's Long Lake. It was a great place for them. They built great memories. One tradition Jerry had was to make applesauce from the apples from our trees. Last year all three kids gathered in the kitchen to help. Any time he spent with them brought so much joy and laughter.

During our many years working long hard tax seasons, we developed a few ways to have fun. One was to have a Happy Hour in our Conference Room every week. We played Hangman and drank lots of wine. The last Happy Hour we had was dedicated to creating a list of adjectives to describe Jerry. What a wonderful picture was painted of this special man. Here are some of the thoughts: Honest, Loyal, Dedicated, Humble, Thrifty (Yes, He Used Coupons), Caring, Intelligent, Crabby, Witty, Jokester, Trustworthy, Elmer Fudd Like (I'll Get You Rascally Rabbit), Worrier, Generous, Wall Street Wine Guy, Parent Figure to Siblings, Squirrely, Gadget Guy (Loved those infomercials), Kind-Hearted, Great Cook (Love those Fried Fish), Gardener, and Fisherman.

Jerry died on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at Quiet Oaks Hospice House in Saint Augusta, MN at the age of 68 years, 6 months, and 18 days.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Kay ; daughter and son-in-law, Kristi and Cory Sabrowsky of Sartell; son, Jeremy and his girlfriend, Heidi of Duluth; grandchildren, Kenna - age 9, Keaton - age 6, and Cannon - age 3; sister, Kathy (Hisham) Salaymeh; and brothers, Gary (Mary) Meier and Jeff (Cindy) Meier; brothers-in-law, Terry (Ruth) Merten, Tom (Deb) Merten, B.J. (Lynne) Merten, and Phil (Barb) Merten; nieces and nephews and extended family.

Jerry is preceded in death by his father and mother, Clarence and Lorraine (Sieben) Meier and his in-laws, Virgil and Marie Merten.

Any memorials will be donated to the Sauk Centre Lions Club, the Sauk Centre Conservation Club, Quiet Oaks Hospice House and St. Paul's Building Project. Thank you all for your great support and ongoing prayers.