Martin Lewis Meuser

The world has lost another gentleman, teacher, man of extreme faith, and all-around good guy. Martin L. Meuser, 99, passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus his savior early Friday morning, November 28 and is now reunited in heaven with Betty, his love of 66 years.

He was born at home in rural northeastern Michigan, the fifth of eight children of German immigrants Henry, a minister, and Alvina, a schoolteacher. It was a very strict household, where all the kids were expected to speak German at home, to be orderly, obey, be very polite, and were told “children should be seen and not heard.” They said prayers before and after meals, had nighttime devotions, and sang from their German songbooks. Despite that very regimented home life, he and his siblings found ways to play and even get into a little trouble now and then. 

The family had very little, but Mart displayed an entrepreneurial streak at a young age. When he had saved enough pennies to buy his first bike from various odd jobs, Mart then sold rides on his bike for a penny. Or he stealthily sold his dessert at the dinner table to one of his hungrier siblings. Being frugal—and creative—was just part of being a Meuser kid.

Throughout his school years, he enjoyed music and sports but loved baseball! He played tenor sax in his high school marching band and played various positions on the varsity baseball team. Despite growing up a Detroit Tigers fan, his granddaughter converted him to a Cincinnati Reds fan when she became the team's dietitian. He enjoyed attending a Reds game at age 97, following them on TV, and watching for his granddaughter in the dugout. 

After graduation, Mart joined the Navy and eventually completed his training as a gunner in the top turret of a naval bomber. Fortunately WWII ended before he would ever see active combat as his older brother had. He served his remaining duty in San Juan, Puerto Rico, thankful to be given an administrative support role when his superiors learned he could type. With his service complete, he began studies at Capital University where he majored in math with minors in science and Phys.Ed. After graduation, he moved to Pemberville, Ohio to teach grades 8-12 math and science and attended the Lutheran church there where a pretty young girl named Betty was organist. He promptly joined the choir and noticed the furtive glances the organist was giving him past her sheet music. They began dating and after two years they married.

Mart began his professional life as a teacher and elementary school principal, then later as principal at Perrysburg Jr. High and got his Masters in Education from BGSU. When computers were becoming "a thing" in the 1960s, he dove into computer programming, was hired by Owens-Illinois in Toledo as a computer programmer and was soon promoted to manage their programming department. After a few years he transferred into their Forest Products Division, making occasional trips to O-I plants around the country and always brought back a fun little present for his boys. He progressed into administrative roles, first as a Sr. Job Analyst and later as administrator of a new payroll system for all of O-I’s divisions. After taking early retirement from O-I, he joined Henry Filters in Bowling Green as Personnel Director for two years before fully retiring.

He and Betty stayed busy in retirement, snow-birding between their Ohio home and Bradenton, FL. where they were very active in their communities and their churches. When in Ohio, they loved taking the boat out on Lake Erie to catch perch, going western square dancing, traveling to visit family and friends, and volunteering with several groups. While Mom stayed busy playing piano and organ for dozens of things, Dad kept busy with projects around the house, coming up with ingenious solutions to fix almost anything. He was the original “MacGyver.” 

With more free time in Florida, Mart took up a new hobby that brought him great joy—learning from the "old guys" in their community’s woodworking shop. As those who knew him are well aware, he became a gifted woodworker, creating many beautiful bowls, pens, goblets, intarsia works and more and earned much recognition in the years that followed. But for all the accolades he got, he was always quick to point out that he just takes God’s creation—the wood—and only enhances its beauty. He always gave God the glory. When they discovered that Friendship Village (now Westerwood) offered a nice woodworking shop, that sealed the deal for their final move into a full retirement community.

He was a craftsman with an artist's eye, sharp-witted, well-spoken, always ready with a story or to help. He possessed a rare combination of humility, honesty, integrity, wisdom, compassion, loyalty, strength, patience, a playful sense of humor, and often had a mischievous twinkle in those light blue eyes. Mart always strived to be a “good citizen” and taught Sunday School, served on the church council and as a Trustee for a nearby retirement community. He sang in their OH and FL church choirs, co-founded his church’s Endowment Fund, and always did whatever he could to serve and support those around him and help anyone less fortunate. His generosity of spirit was evident in the many charities he supported, and he counseled us to "be a positive influence wherever you live and work.” He certainly practiced what he preached.

Above all else, family was his #1 lifelong priority. He instilled in his offspring a strong work ethic, a Christ-centered focus, and that love of family, showing us unconditional love. Though not as strict a father as his own Pop was, he knew how and when to “burn our britches” those few times one of us got out of line. But he often found ways to incorporate fun with all the chores, suggesting a quick game of ping pong, pool, or HORSE (basketball) but showing his opponents no mercy and too often winning hard-fought games. From childhood, he always loved camping so he took our family on at least one summer camping trip each year, sometimes along with extended family. Amazingly, his “original eight” siblings maintained an unbroken streak of 70+ annual reunions, which his surviving family hopes to continue.

We were truly blessed to have such an amazing patriarch, and he will be terribly missed by those who survive him: three sons, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family and friends. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his seven siblings and their spouses, and his beloved wife Betty.

Family and friends are invited to gather to celebrate Mart's life on Saturday morning, December 27 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 4686 Walnut Street, Westerville, OH 43081. Memorial service will start at 10 a.m., with visitation from 9-10 and a luncheon following the service, where we hope those with thoughts or stories of Mart will share them. For those who can’t attend, the service will be on the church’s YouTube channel for live-streaming or later viewing at youtube.com/c/splcwesterville.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to one of the following charitable causes he supported: Feeding America; Disabled American Veterans; or to the St. Paul Lutheran Church’s Music Fund.