Lester Meiers

Lester "Pop" "PeeWee" Meiers, age 75, died Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 1:10pm at Hospice House of Davidson County. He was born and raised in a farming family in Kendall, New York and was the 12th of 13 children. Remaining are one brother Harold and wife Carol from Loveland Colorado, sister-in-law Carol Meiers from Asheboro, and brother-in-law Bill Diedrich from Pennsylvania as well as several nieces and nephews. Survivors are Margie, his wife of 50 years; daughter Lori Dixon and her son Matthew of Asheboro; son Kenny Meiers and wife Robin and their daughter Sarah of Wilmington, NC; son David Meiers and wife Janet and their daughter Gloria of Charlotte, NC. Les was a high school sports star, playing soccer, baseball and basketball and was the captain of the basketball team. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army for 3 years, spending most of that time stationed in Japan. While there, he traveled Japan, playing on Army baseball and basketball teams. Les worked at General Electric / Black and Decker for 40 years - first in Brockport, NY and then in Asheboro, after transferring down in 1972. He has remained close to the other families that also transferred to Asheboro, and regularly gathered for Card nights to play Euchre. Les was an avid runner, and logged over 20,000 miles - he could often be seen on Asheboro roads, and in local races, with his other running buddies. He ran in several marathons, including qualifying for, and running in, the Boston Marathon. When his knees said it was time, he switched to bicycling and he and his buddies were a common sight around town. They also rode from Asheboro to the beach each year on their bikes! He later became a regular at the Asheboro YMCA and enjoyed swimming laps - logging a total of over 3,600 miles. Les faithfully attended First Presbyterian Church in Asheboro, where he enjoyed attending the early service on Sundays. He was a member of the Farmer Lions Club. He often volunteered at the local Soup Kitchen and helped distribute food multiple times each year at the Armory. Les enjoyed maintaining their beautiful farm, operating his Massey-Ferguson tractor and spending time with family, neighbors and friends. He could often be found in the evenings, peacefully swinging in the gazebo overlooking the garden. Free time was spent on the "hunting club", where he enjoyed turkey hunting in the Spring and deer hunting in the Fall and spending time with his hunting buddies, including his son David and grandson Matthew. He will be missed at the regular trips to Rick's restaurant and Troutman's BBQ in Denton, NC. The Family will receive friends at Pugh Funeral Home, Asheboro from 6-8pm Wednesday, October 13, 2010. A Memorial Service will be held Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 2pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Asheboro. In lieu of flowers, the Family request memorials be made to Hospice of Davidson County, 524 S. State St., Lexington, NC 27292 or Farmer Lions Club, c/o Kent Elliott, 9107 High Pine Church Rd., Asheboro, NC 27205.