Michael Lee Meier

Michael was born on August 23, 1941, the fifth of six children to his parents Olga and Carl Meier in a log home on the family farm at the end of Meier Road in rural Spirit Township, Price County, Wisconsin. He attended nearby Liberty School for 1st and 2nd, and 4th through 8th grades, having been promoted directly from 2nd to 4th grade. Michael graduated from Rib Lake High School in 1958 at age 16, and enrolled that fall at Wisconsin State College-Stevens Point (now UW-Stevens Point) as a pre-law student. Midway through his freshman year he decided to shift his career objective toward ministry in the Lutheran Church. In 1959 he transferred his studies to Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was a pre-ministerial student. At Concordia-St. Paul he met fellow student Iona Emma Trapp and they were married in 1963. The marriage produced four children, Andrew Carl (1966), twins Peter Clarence and Mary Pauline (1968), and Naomi Iona (1970). The couple divorced in 1979. Michael completed his B.A. at Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1963 and enrolled in post-graduate seminary studies at Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. He served as a pastoral intern during 1965-66 at The Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Florissant, Missouri. He graduated from Concordia Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 1967 and received a call to serve as Lutheran Campus Pastor at Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis, Oregon. Michael moved his young family to Oregon and on August 6, 1967 was ordained as a pastor in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod at Zion Lutheran Church in Corvallis. By the early 1970s Michael was providing leadership to Campus Ministry and supporting the Zion, Grace Lutheran Church, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church congregations from a renovated residence known as Luther House, near the OSU campus. In 1971 he earned a Master of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling from OSU. He taught a New Testament Greek class for the OSU Experimental College. Michael and Anthonia Ethel “Toni” Undem Hass met through church ministry and were married in December, 1979. The following month, Michael took on a new role as Program Director for Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Oregon, which included staff management responsibilities at Camp Lutherwood. In 1981 Michael received a call to serve as Pastor at Sitka Lutheran Church in Sitka, Alaska. Michael and Toni relocated to Sitka where they embraced Southeast Alaska culture and found opportunities for professional and community engagement. In addition to his pastoral duties, Michael served the community as President of the Sitka School Board, President of Sitka Rotary Club, and board member for Sitka Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA). Michael and Toni hosted a high school exchange student for one year, Alper Yuksel from Konya, Turkey. Michael and Toni became close friends with Alper, his sister Pinar, and their family and would later travel to Turkey to visit them. During the summers, Michael and Toni organized and led church youth backpacking trips to a US Forest Service cabin at Shelikof Bay on Kruzof Island. Michael and Toni purchased a sailboat and enjoyed taking it out on ocean water. During this time Michael and Toni received a dog as a gift from daughter Debbie and son-in-law Tom, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi they called “Prince”, who was a special part of their daily lives. In 1991 Michael accepted a call to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Region 1 Pacific Northwest congregations in Stewardship Education. Michael and Toni moved to Seattle, Washington which would be their home base for much of the 1990s. During these years, Michael and Toni purchased the former Liberty School building that Michael had attended as a child, and began to remake it into a home where they could later spend their retirement years. In 1998 Michael started in a new position as ELCA Director for Leadership Development in Chicago, Illinois. Michael and Toni moved to Mount Prospect, Illinois, and would spend weekends Up North in Wisconsin, working on “The Schoolhouse.” In 2006, Michael retired from his position in Chicago, and for the following year served as an interim pastor at dual congregations of Zion Lutheran Church in Brantwood, and First Lutheran Church in Prentice, Wisconsin. By this time Michael and Toni had completed their relocation from Mount Prospect and were living full time at The Schoolhouse. Michael continued to work part time as a Stewardship Key Leader, providing consultation services to church congregations nationwide, guiding them through fundraising to help pay for new buildings and other large expenditures. From 2006 - 2019 Michael and Toni immersed themselves in the Spirit Township community. Following in his father Carl’s footsteps, Michael served on the Board of Directors for Price Electric Cooperative. Michael and Toni together founded German Settlement History, Inc., which served as a historical and social resource for the surrounding community and a legacy that will likely bear good fruit for many years to come. They published a quarterly newsletter, “Liberty School News”, which featured stories of area history and served to help reconnect former students and promote community fellowship. Their home, which by this time included not only the former Liberty School, but also “The Yesterday House”, and “The Machine Shed” museum they had added to the property, was the place to be for many community and extended family gatherings. Michael and Toni were good neighbors, always welcoming no matter the time of day, always with a happy wave to anyone who passed through the adjacent County Road YY intersection. They were truly a "Spirit" couple and an asset to the community. German Settlement History, Inc., evolved and grew and continues today as Spirit Historical Society, Inc. “The Yesterday House” was recently moved to a prominent location in Spirit, Wisconsin, adjacent to the Town Hall. During the summer of 2019, Michael and Toni relocated back to Corvallis, Oregon to be closer to family and health care resources. They enjoyed living at Stoneybrook Lodge and Assisted Living. In February, 2023, Michael moved to Willamette Springs Memory Care. He passed away peacefully on Monday, September 25, 2023 at Good Samaritan Medical Center with family members at his side. Michael is survived by his wife Toni, former wife Iona Trapp of Corvallis, OR, sons Andrew (Jenny) Meier of Eugene, OR and Peter (Eloiza) Meier of Belmont, CA, daughters Mary (Cyril) Oberlander of Arcata, CA and Naomi (Jeff) Trapp Davis of San Diego, CA, step-daughters Lauri (Mark) Speelman of Dallas, OR, Julie (Matt) James of Albany, OR and Debbie (Tom) Gerding of Philomath, OR, step-son Rick Hass of Billings, MT, brother Timothy (Mary) Meier of Independence, MO, sisters-in-law Carol Meier of Milbank, SD and Joleen Meier of Maple Grove, MN, 9 nieces and nephews, 18 grand- and step grandchildren, 10 step great-grandchildren, and two step great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by parents Olga Catherine Marie Harrold Meier and Carl Theodore Reinhold Meier, brothers Albert Harrold Meier and Marvin Carl Meier and sisters Gladys Ann Howard, and Rosalie Jane Meier, who died in infancy. Funeral services are being provided by McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis. A viewing and graveside ceremony for immediate family is planned for October 4. Interment will be at Oak Lawn Memorial Park in Corvallis. A Celebration of Life service is planned for November 19, at 2:00 PM at Grace Lutheran Church in Corvallis. Please share your thoughts and memories for the family at www.McHenryFuneralHome.com.

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Michael Lee Meier

August 23, 1941 - September 25, 2023