Joan Patricia Meyers

Visitation

Sep 17, 2022

Biography

Joan Patricia Meyers of Elk Grove Village passed away on August 30, 2022 at the age of 92. Joan was born to Ann Stegmeyer (of German ancestry) and Stanley Westman (of Swedish ancestry) in February of 1930. She grew up on the North side of Chicago during the Depression which left her with a resourcefulness that stayed with her the rest of her life. She had a humble but very happy childhood. She described her neighborhood as a very social place where you would walk around in the afternoon and visit with neighbors on their front porch after going to the deli and picking up a giant dill pickle for a nickel. Joan attended Our Lady of Mercy Grammar School and Alvernia High School. She continued to attend Alvernia reunions until a couple of years ago. Joan was very active in high school and remained so as a young adult. She played and prayed for the high school basketball team, enjoyed picnics with family and friends, music, and dancing. She loved telling her kids and grandkids stories of going to dances in grand ballrooms and listening to the big bands of the time. As a young adult, in the late 40’s and early 50’s she worked as an administrative assistant (she said secretary) in the C suite of Walgreen’s corporate office, occasionally working with Mr Walgreen himself. At the same time, she attended the Pope school of cooking and remained an excellent cook her whole life. Around this time, she and some of her girlfriends fell in love with roller derby. They put together several trips attending some of the biggest roller derby events. One of these trips included a harrowing flight in a prop plane to New York in the early 50’s to see the New York Chiefs take on a number of teams. In 1957 at the age of 27, she married George William Meyers Jr. After a couple of years living in apartments and with an infant son, they bought a new home in Elk Grove Village and settled in. When they first moved into Elk Grove, the town was not yet complete. The first grocery store was still being built and there was no Catholic Church. For church, they met in different people’s houses to celebrate Mass which always included Father Morrison, a cornerstone in the new Elk Grove Village. The following years brought them three more children, a dog (for a month) several hamsters and 3 parakeets, besides all the toads, frogs and occasional snakes brought home by the boys. Many happy hours were spent in the company of close neighbors and friends. Joan always worried about her kids but did not stop them from staying outside all day … just be home by the time the streetlights turn on. Since raising 4 kids in a small house can be hectic, to get out of the house occasionally, George and Joan took up square dancing. They belonged to the Bucks and Does Square Dance club for many years. Many of the people they met there became part of their social circle and some of their best friends. They not only danced together, but they would also go out on the weekends, have dinner parties, and camped together. Many a summer weekend was spent in a tent in a field. Joan lost George in the summer of 1983 after a 30-year bout with cancer. Joan saw George through 30 years of uncertainty where doctors would consistently give him a year to live. The doctors did not count on Joan being there. Joan had her own scare with breast cancer several years later, and she beat it. The Cancer Federation remained one of her most beloved charities. After losing George, Joan remained active with her 15 grandchildren, hanging out at the local McDonalds with a group of retirees she knew from the village, senior trips all over the Midwest, participating in water aerobics, senior yoga, bingo and bunco. In addition to this she remained active in a number of Queen of the Rosary service groups. She loved Elk Grove and considered it her home. Joan was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. Joan is survived by her sons Christopher Meyers (Joanne), Patrick Meyers (Nancy) and David Meyers (Lynn), Daughter Therese Marie Meyers (the late William Hanen), 15 grandchildren, her brother and sister-in law Dr. James Westman and Sandra Monroe, a host of loving nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. Family and friends will meet Saturday, Sept.17th at Queen of the Rosary Church 750 W Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove Village for a from 9:30 AM until the Celebration of the Mass, 11:00. Interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines will follow. Attire: At Joan’s request, you are invited to wear light colors to her service.