William Dwight Meyers

William D. “Bill” Meyers

William “Bill” Dwight Meyers, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away on September 18, 2025, at St. Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park, at the age of 91. He was born on January 11, 1934, to William V. and Freda Anora (Casey) Meyers in rural Plainville, Kansas.

Growing up on a farm, the oldest of six children, Bill developed a deep love for farming and agriculture. He was proud to be a farm kid from western Kansas and spoke fondly of harvest season and working the combine. Radio was a prime source of entertainment, so it is no surprise that Bill was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan thanks to the broadcasts of Dizzy Dean. He saw them play at Busch Stadium in person for the first time in 2015.

After graduating from Plainville High School, Bill attended Fort Hays State College, in Hays, KS. He enlisted in the United State Army in 1954 and was assigned to the 45th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade HQ in Chicago, IL. During this time, in true “Southside” style, he became a fan of both pizza and the White Sox. Bill loved his country and was very proud of his military service. Veteran’s Day always held a special meaning for him.

Following his time in Chicago, Bill returned to Kansas. He married Alma Mae Goetz on August 8, 1961, at St. Fidelis Church, the “Cathedral of the Plains”, in Victoria, Kansas. She was a farm girl who became a schoolteacher. They were married for nearly 54 years, until Alma’s passing on February 5, 2015. Bill cherished her memory and all who knew them are now smiling about their happy reunion.

Bill and Alma began their married life in Hill City, KS, where he co-owned a Phillips 66 station. Bill was a “car guy” who loved to tinker on automobiles, including his Chevy Bel-Aire and Chevy Impala. In 1962 he sold the gas station and accepted a job with National Helium Corporation, so Bill and Alma moved to Liberal, KS, where they lived for 14 years.

In 1976, Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co. offered Bill a new finance role in Kansas City, MO. Bill and Alma, with their three children, moved to Shawnee, KS, and settled into life in the “big city.” This same Summer of ’76 saw the Kansas City Royals win the America League West for the first time, beginning a nine-year run that ended in a World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. Bill attended that Game 7 and cheered (loudly) for the Royals!

Not long after, Panhandle Eastern relocated their headquarters to Houston, TX, so Bill and Alma picked up stakes and moved south for a short tenure. When it came time to retire, they left the Gulf coast and returned to Kansas City, eventually settling in Olathe, KS.

Retirement for Bill was anything but, as that farm kid work ethic would not let him sit quietly. He first took a part-time job as a warehouse worker and delivery driver for Wolferman’s Original English Muffin Co. Not long after he began a long “career” sacking groceries for the Dillon’s and Price Chopper chains. Bill was even featured in a 1998 Olathe Daily News article about senior citizens who keep on working. He balanced this with time spent as a member of a landscape crew, which he truly loved as this was “close to farming.”

Bill was not just a baseball fan. He and Alma both loved Kansas State athletics and were season football ticket holders. But their favorite athletes to follow were their grandchildren and they rarely missed a game, whether it was football, basketball, baseball, softball, or soccer (there were seven grandkids to follow!). In recent years Bill was a fixture at high school basketball games where his son-in-law coached.

Bill’s most enduring memory will be that as a man of character. Strong in his Catholic faith, he did not wear his religion on his sleeve but rather lived out those values by how he lived. He volunteered his time to every parish he belonged to throughout his life and attended mass daily. He was a devoted family man who was loved by so many of his immediate and extended family members, no matter what age. He will also be remembered as a “people person” who never knew a stranger, was quick to make friends, and armed with a clever sense of humor that always left one smiling.

Bill is survived by his children, Stan Meyers (Darla), Topeka, KS; Stacey Allen (Mike), Olathe, KS; John Meyers (Kristy), Olathe, KS. His sisters, LaVivian Drake, Overland Park, KS; Sonja McMullen (Leroy), Great Bend, KS. His brothers, Michael Meyers (Lina), Bakersfield, CA; Jim Meyers, Reno, NV. His brothers-in-law, Frank Goetz (Cam Mahaffey), Denver, CO; Ron Goetz, Hays, KS; and Ivan Werner, Leawood, KS. His sister-in-law, Sharon Merrick (Frank), Oviedo, FL. His grandchildren, Grant Meyers, Claire Meyers, Amy Young (Griff), Matthew Allen, Abby Allen, Ethan Meyers (Sammi), and Olivia Meyers. His great granddaughters, Georgia Young, Greta Young, and Scottie Meyers.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Alma Meyers; his parents, William V. and Freda Meyers; his parents-in-law, Simon and Ida Goetz; his brother, Greg Meyers; his sisters-in-law, Norma Huffman and Richard, Berniece Bushman and Dennis, Verda Werner, and Rosemary Meyers; his brother-in-law, John Drake; and his nieces, Michelle Roth, Melanie (Meyers) Redman, and DonnaLee Bushman.

Services and Mass of Christian Burial will be held this Friday, September 26, 2025, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 16000 W 143rd Street, Olathe, Kansas. Visitation will begin at 8:30 am with a rosary service at 9:30 am, followed by Mass at 10:00 am. Graveside services will take place at 11:30 at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, 8300 Quivira Road, Lenexa, Kansas.

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