William “Bill” Meyer
August 19, 1930 – October 12, 2026
The Rev. William “Bill” Meyer passed away on Monday, October 12 at the age of 96.
William Rufus Meyer was born on August 19, 1930, to Luther and Esther Meyer on their dairy farm in Outlook, Washington, the fourth of six children: three older sisters (Mary Ellen, Anna, and Frances) and two younger brothers (James and Robert). The family valued faith, education, music, laughter, and hard work. When not doing chores or homework or playing with his siblings, Bill could often be found with his nose in a book. Love of learning and curiosity about new technology continued throughout his long life.
Bill graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1948, where he played cornet in the band, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Washington State College. After college, he served in the United States Army Signal Corps, setting up radio relays in Korea. Upon his discharge, he used the GI Bill to learn to serve the Prince of Peace, first at Multnomah School of the Bible, then at Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Early in his first term at Dubuque, a fellow seminarian persuaded Bill to attend a mixer, where his attention was captured by Marilyn Anderson, a nursing student with a beautiful smile (and voice). The newfangled seatbelts in Bill’s car gave Bill and Marilyn something to talk about on their first date; she had written a paper about them for a class. She also introduced him to movies and dancing.
Bill and Marilyn were married on August 14, 1957 in her hometown of Lansford, North Dakota. They made their home in Dubuque until Bill’s graduation from seminary. He was ordained in Sunnyside, Washington in June of 1958. Beginning July 13, 1958, he served as pastor to the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church and Sherrard Community Presbyterian Church in Illinois.
Three children were born to the Meyers while living in Illinois: Neal on August 10, 1958; Yvonne on April 28, 1961; and Karen on July 30, 1963. Soon after Karen’s birth, Bill accepted a call to the First Presbyterian Church in Bickleton, Washington, where he served as pastor through 1989. In the summer of 1970, Bill (and the whole family) returned to Dubuque for a sabbatical year to begin a master’s program at the seminary. That time turned out to be a watershed year for everyone in the family. Bill completed the rest of the program remotely, earning his Master of Sacred Theology in 1975.
During the Bickleton years, he and Marilyn took up cycling, an activity they continued to enjoy for decades. Bill was adept at assembling and repairing bicycles, skills that came in handy on long bike tours, including a ride from Cutbank, Montana to Lansford, North Dakota for Marilyn’s 50th high school reunion in 2000.
After his long tenure in Bickleton, Bill trained for the role of interim pastor to help congregations prepare for calling a new settled pastor. In 1990, he served as interim pastor at Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Burns, OR. In the spring of 1991, he accepted a call to serve as Interim pastor at South Beach Presbyterian Church in Grayland, WA. From 1992-2004, Bill was semi-retired, serving part-time as Minister of Visitation at The United Churches of Olympia, where Bill and Marilyn were homeowners for the first time in their lives. In 2004 and 2005, Bill served for a few months as part-time pastor in Longbranch, Washington.
After Marilyn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the couple agreed it would be good to celebrate a golden wedding at 48 years so Marilyn could enjoy the festivities. Soon after that celebration in summer of 2005, they sold their Olympia house and moved to Crista Senior Living in Shoreline, Washington, where Marilyn could receive memory and hospice care, and Bill could live independently nearby and visit and care for her every day. He continued to live at Crista following Marilyn’s death in 2012. He didn’t expect to find love again, but in 2020, his neighbor Anna Dremousis picked him out of the crowd as someone worth talking to. Their affection and companionship brought joy not only to them but to their families.
Interested in cutting-edge development even late in life, Bill was interested in the possibility of human composting as soon as it became legal in Washington, and prearranged for his remains to be handled that way. The boy born on a dairy farm will return to the soil, thanks to Recompose.
Bill is survived by his brother Robert Meyer of Tualatin, OR; children Neal Kosaly-Meyer (Anna) of Seattle, WA; Yvonne Gauntt (David) of Homewood, AL; and Karen Eisenbrey (Keith) of Seattle, WA; grandchildren Hayley, Ahava (Dorian), Elizabeth, Maggie, Bianca (Trey), Fenny, John, and Isaac; great-grandchildren Elijah and Emeryn; many nieces and nephews; and friends at Crista, especially Anna Dremousis.
Memorial services will be held in 2027, after Bill’s soil is available. In lieu of flowers, you are invited to donate in Bill’s memory to:
Good Samaritan Fund
Crista Senior Living
19301 King’s Garden Dr N
Shoreline, WA 98133
or online at https://cristaseniorliving.org/donate
Or to:
Habitat for Humanity at https://www.habitat.org/donate/link/2586