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Martha Messenger
Martha Messenger of Davis died Dec. 10, 2004, in peace and surrounded by her family. She was 74.
Services and a celebration of her life will begin at noon on Saturday at St. James Catholic Church, 14th and B streets.
Born Oct. 28, 1930, in Dalhart, Texas, to Regina and Jay Rollo, she grew up in Enid, Okla., graduating from Holy Rosary School in 1948.
She marriage Clinton Messenger in 1950 and they moved to California in 1958. She lived in Davis for the last 43 years where she and her husband raised their five children.
She worked for the Davis School District for 23 years and loved to travel, play golf and tend to her roses. She was a member of St. James Catholic Church.
Her family remembers her as a loving wife, mother, friend and devoted Christian.
She retired in 1992 and traveled extensively with her husband, including excursions to the Middle East, Europe and the South Pacific.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Clinton Messenger; her children, Cindy Butte and her husband Bob of Sacramento, Katie Silva and her husband Richard of Fair Oaks, Patty Ward and her husband Tom of Woodland, Tom Messenger and his wife Derinda of Monterey and Janie French and her husband Steve of Carefree, Ariz.
She is further survived by her sister, Wilma Ann Childers of Woodland.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society.
MESZAROS
Edward A. Meszaros
Edward A. Meszaros died March 25, 2001, following a car accident. Born Feb. 11, 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Edward and Therese Meszaros, he was 50.
He was a resident of Woodland for 25 years. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Southeast Asia and Hawaii for six years before moving to Woodland in 1975. He owned music stores in Sacramento, Davis, and Vacaville, and was co-owner of Woodland Music and Guitar where he taught guitar lessons. He was a musician who played guitar at Holy Rosary Church and an avid volleyball player, roller skater, and car enthusiast.
He is survived by his wife, Maureen; sons, Rob and Ryan; parents, Edward and Therese Meszaros; brothers, Jim, Mark, Bob and Rich; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Cam and Bob McGriff, numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law, and ten nieces and nephews.
A Rosary is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. at Holy Rosary Church in Woodland. A funeral Mass will be held at Holy Rosary Church on Friday at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Diabetes Association and the Holy Rosary Church music program.
METZ
Charles "Charlie" R. Metz
Charlie Metz, local working man-philosopher, died unexpectedly in his sleep on March 7, 2003.
He was born on Oct. 30, 1919, in Crvenka, Yugoslavia, to Charles Metz Sr. and Julia Lahm. He immigrated to America when he was 2 years old and grew up in the Bronx. He attended Townsend-Harris prep school in Manhattan and started at City College in New York, taking night classes and working during the day.
He didn't finish college, but did become a master brick mason, following in his father and grandfather's footsteps.
During World War II, he worked at a war plant, where he met Agnes Pauline "Pat" Ebhardt. The two were marriage in 1949 and began their marriage life in Brooklyn. Charlie had an inquiring mind and was a voracious reader of nonfiction. His intellectual searching for answers to the problems of humankind led him to convert to Roman Catholicism. He and Pat were part of the Catholic Worker movement, spearheaded by the late Dorothy Day.
In 1966, he moved his family west to Davis. Here he worked for the university in the physical plant and grounds departments, retiring in 1984. In his spare time, he built fireplaces, tiled bathrooms and fixed cracks in tile and masonry all over town. He and Pat found their niche in the peace movement, ecumenical movement, the Newman Center and the Davis Democratic Club.
He loved to engage people in conversation. He liked to joke with people and tease them in his sarcastic, New York kind of way. He also liked to challenge people by discussing the state of the world or the state of one's soul. He was also known for being an empathetic listener.
He usually left an impression upon those he met. He was eccentric, funny and, at times, caustic. He was passionately concerned about the lack of justice in our world. His life's work was trying to get people to understand that we all need to do a better job of taking care of each other. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any organization that works for peace and justice or any group that cares for the poor.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Pat; his daughter, Maura MacDonald and her husband Rod; three grandchildren, Lucas, Kevin and Jacob MacDonald; his sister, Lillian Carter and her husband Bill; and his nephew, Andrew Lang and his wife Linda Kennedy, all of Davis.
He is further survived by numerous godchildren, both here and back East, as well as extended family in New York, New Jersey and Michigan.
A Memorial Mass will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 19, at St. James Catholic Church in Davis. A reception outdoors, by the Shrine of La Virgin de Guadeloupe, will follow. Davis Funeral Chapel helped with arrangements.
METZGER
Roy Lavern Metzger
Roy Lavern Metzger died at Brentwood on Wednesday, July 16, 2003, at age 59.
Born March 22, 1944, in Woodland, Mr. Metzger had been a Yolo County resident for 31 years. He attended Capay Grammar school. He graduated from Esparto High School in 1963. He moved to Brentwood in 1975 and worked for California Division of Forestry for short time. He also worked for Truckadero in Dunnigan.
Survivors include his brother, Ernest Metzger and wife Linda of Capay; aunts, Opal Bertrum of Woodland, Florence Irvine and husband Ed of Rogue River, Ore., and Elsie Henson of Capay; nieces and nephews, Mark Metzger and companion Connie Stillwell, Tracy Metzger and husband Preston, Melody Beaver and husband David, Peggy Arnette and Kathy Norris; great-nephew, Christian Metzger; great-nieces, Tasia Metzger, Ambria Beaver, and Tamara Arnette; and numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Metzger; father, Zane Metzger; mother, Fern Metzger; brothers, Bill and Cecil Metzger; and sister, Myra Jane Arnette.
The family requests memorials be directed to American Cancer Society; or the charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Traditional Care of Antioch.
Services: Graveside service is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26, 2003, at Capay Cemetery.
MEYER
James H. Meyer
Chancellor Emeritus James H. Meyer, who guided UC Davis, during its greatest period of unrest, change and growth and who was recognized as a leader in the adaptation of management theory and techniques to higher education, died Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002 after a lengthy illness.
A calming presence in moments of crisis and a patient and deliberate consensus-builder, Meyer, 80, served as chancellor from 1969 to 1987. His steady hand at the helm kept the campus moving forward for nearly a generation.
His tenure would see the establishment of four new campus-wide divisions and the creation of the Graduate School of Management. Eleven major teaching and research facilities were constructed under his leadership and two more were completed shortly after his retirement - including a food and agricultural sciences building that now bears his name. The annual campus budget rose from $86.1 million to $583.9 million. Faculty and staff numbers increased from 4, 100 to 12, 800, and enrollment jumped from 12, 000 to nearly 20, 000. Some 65, 000 alumni studied at UC Davis during his 18 years as chancellor.
He cultivated communication and contact among the diverse campus groups and between them and himself, and remained the chancellor known for riding his bike to work each day and for winning the Picnic Day cow-milking contest each year.
"This campus has benefited enormously from the vision and leadership of Chancellor Meyer, " said UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, who was hired by Meyer in 1984 as the campus's executive vice chancellor. "Jim mentored by example, and was clever enough so that you usually thought his great idea was actually your own. More than anything else, he taught that consultation with all the university's constituencies was essential on most campus matters."
Raised on a livestock- and grain-producing ranch in northern Idaho, Meyer received his undergraduate degree from the University of Idaho, Moscow. After serving in the Marine Corps in the Pacific in World War II, he received his master's and doctor's degrees in animal nutrition from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then joined the faculty of UC Davis' Department of Animal Science, where he progressed through the ranks from instructor in 1951 to professor in 1962. He served three years as department chair, then nine years as dean of the College of Agriculture.
In 1967, he led the college to change its name to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "He knew the environmental vulnerabilities of production agriculture, and felt the university had to be involved in the solution to those growing problems, " said Chancellor Vanderhoef. "In that day, many considered the name change treason, but Jim prevailed and many colleges across the country followed his lead."
As chancellor, Meyer's research emphasized the application of modern management systems in the administration of a university, stressing flexibility, decentralization, a minimum of administrative overhead and the ability of an institution to change. In retirement, he returned to his home department of animal science and wrote and lectured about the changing role of the land-grant university in modern society.
He leaves his wife, Alice Bell; daughter Trace Harris and son-in-law Jon Harris of New York City and their son, Jack; daughter Joan Meyer and son-in-law Tom Chalmers of Weston, Mass., and their children, Margot and Tom Chalmers; son Gary Meyer and daughter-in-law Marti Jo Meyer of Sacramento; son Stephen Meyer and daughter-in-law Mary Lou Flint of Sacramento and their children, Willy and Nick; and daughter Susan Meyer of Davis and her children Matthew, Jamie and Joseph Shimek. He is predeceased by wives Margaret Hickman Meyer and Mary Regan Meyer.
A private graveside service for the family will be held this week, as well as a small memorial service for family friends at University Retirement Community in Davis. A university memorial service is planned for later this fall quarter.
The family asks that those wishing to make memorial contributions consider a donation to benefit students in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. Checks, made out to "UC Regents" in memory of James H. Meyer, should be directed to the Animal Science Memorial Fund, c/o the Department of Animal Science, UC Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, 95616.
MEYERS
James Page Meyers
James Page Meyers died in his Brooks, Ca. home Sunday, Feb. 15, 2004, at age 56.
Born Sept. 21, 1947, in San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Meyers had been a Yolo County resident for 40 years. He attended Winters High School. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years and was employed by UC Davis for 34 years. He was an active member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Meyers of Brooks; daughters, Leia Magalong and Jamey Humpries, both of Vacaville; stepdaughter, Julie Bangayan of Woodland; and brothers, Jeff Repko of Tacoma, Wash., Tony and Matt Repko, both of Cottonwood. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joyce Clark and A. Repko.
Arrangements are under the direction of McNary's Chapel of Woodland.
Services: A visitation is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at McNary's Chapel, 458 College St., Woodland.
LEW
William Lew
William Lew of Davis died July 30, 2004, after a battle against Parkinson's disease. He was 82.
Born July 26, 1922, in Oakland, he was a highly decorated U.S. Air Force officer who participated as a pilot and a controller in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He retired from Travis Air Force Base as chief controller in 1975, after serving his country for more than 32 years. The lieutenant colonel not only dedicated himself to his family and country, but also to friends and neighbors, his family says.
Outside his military life, he loved to work with his hands doing wood carvings and whimsical toys. He was known as the neighborhood handyman for carpentry, plumbing and other household projects.
He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 53 years, Betty E. Lew, who died Aug. 21, 2003. He is survived by his children, Karen and her husband Del of Wichita, Kansas; Steven of Sacramento; Cindy and her husband Bob of San Jose; and Patricia and her husband David of Sacramento; and his grandchildren, Brandon, Melissa, Marianne, Peter and Sarah.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of his life at University Covenant Church, 315 Mace Blvd., Davis, at 1 p.m. Friday.
The family requests that donations be sent to Parkinson's Association, 900 Fulton Ave., Suite 100-5, Sacramento, CA 95825, in memory of William Lew.
