Kenneth Leroy Myer

Kenneth Leroy Myer was born October 3, 1930 in a sod house four miles south of Arnold, Nebraska, near the home of his great grandparents.  He was the fourth son of Glen Elmer and Bertha Iona Kilmer Myer. His Aunt, Minnie Holt, was there to help her sister give birth, but Glen declared her to be “no help at all” and delivered his son himself.  His brothers were Leonard Glen, Lyle Wilburt and Bernard Lee and his only sister, Lois Wilma, joined the family in 1935.  

Kenny lived in Arnold until he was four, where everyone was required to help put food on the table. His mother grew potatoes and the children followed her with buckets of water to keep them growing. His father traveled to break horses and worked on a haying crew; he sent home what money he could. Eventually, they sold all they had left to move closer to family in Dennison, Iowa; his father went to work on the railroad. During the depression, the family raised and sold garden produce, took in washing, and shot rabbits and squirrels with slingshots for their food. The family, along with many others, lived in a converted railroad car and the boys were sent out every day with gunnysacks to gather coal that had spilled from the coal cars onto the tracks. This was their sole source of heat. The children always thought of this time with great love and a spirit of freedom and adventure.

They moved to Ft. Dodge, Iowa in 1939 and he attended school there.  Kenny always worked hard and held many jobs as a young boy.  One of his favorites was being a pinsetter at the bowling alley every evening through Junior High.  He worked after school until late at night most days. He had to finally quit that job when he couldn’t stay awake at school.

He spent many summers back in Nebraska working at the Holt Ranch with his family. Kenny loved the Angus cattle, milking cows, riding horses & especially loved his Aunt Minnie’s cooking with real butter, cream & eggs. 

He also had a love & passion for trains and started working for the Illinois Central Railroad in Ft. Dodge at age 16, when his family’s home burned, and they lost everything. His job there was wiring signal boxes, which sparked his career in the electrical field.  He loved the freedom of traveling on the trains and finally having extra money in his pocket.

He met the love of his life, Jeanne Marie Heller, in 1949 at the roller-skating rink.  She was smitten by the tall, skinny blond haired, blue eyed show off nicknamed “Slim”, as he skated circles around her, and picked up a handkerchief with his teeth and skated away… backwards. He was instantly in love with his dark-haired beauty, and they were married a year later, on July 31, 1950.

He worked for Woodman Electric for the next 13 years and received his Journeyman and Contractor’s licenses at that time. He taught electrical courses at Ft. Dodge Junior College at night and often worked with his brother Bernie doing contract work. They lived in Otho, Iowa, where he was also the town deputy and a volunteer firefighter.

During these years, they were blessed with four children: Linda Kay in 1951, Barbara Jeanne in ’52, Kenneth Dean in ’53 and Kimberly Ann in ’56.

Ken always wanted to return to his roots in Nebraska, and in August 1966, they moved to Arnold, where he opened his own business, Myer Electric, Plumbing & Heating. He ran this business, along with working for the Village of Arnold, for the next 9 years. 

They then moved to Broken Bow and he began working for the State of Nebraska/Dept. of Roads. He worked there with his brother-in-law, Darrell, and was a Highway Sign man and a snowplow driver, where he remained until his retirement in 1992.  They enjoyed making their own beer & wine, fishing & hunting, going to dances, raising chickens, and remodeling his home & helping out at his children’s houses.

Kenneth passed away on Wednesday August 21^St, 2019 at the Good Life Center in Callaway, Nebr., after a long battle with Dementia.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Jeanne Marie, of Broken Bow, children Linda Hardy (Dan) Wahoo, NE., Barb Mills (Don) Arnold, Kenneth D. (Peg) Broken Bow and Kim Beshaler (Rick) Arnold, 24 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren and 3 great, great grandchildren, sisters-in-law Joyce Myer & Marjorie Harrington and many, many nieces & nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, all his siblings, brother & sisters-in-law Mary Myer, Barb Myer, Irene Myer & Darrell Wiseman, grandchildren Traci Ann Mills & Ryan Beshaler and great grands Gaylen Kucera, Ollie Beshaler, Brielle Myer & Ashlyn Myer.

Funeral services will be at the United Methodist Church in Arnold on Monday, August 26^th @10:30. Burial at Arnold Cemetery w/dinner to follow at the Arnold Community Center. Visitation will be Sunday, August 25, 2019, at the Arnold Funeral Home in Arnold, NE. Govier Brothers Mortuary in charge of arrangements. Online condolences can be left at www.govierbrothers.com

Memorials are suggested to the Callaway Good Life Center.