Joanne Meyer

JoAnne Meyer or just “Jo” to many of her close friends and family passed peacefully in San Antonio, Texas on April 13, 2025. She is survived by her children Paula Fierros (husband Alex) and Jeff Meyer (wife Kay), her grandchildren: Lisa Gardner (husband Doug), Zander Fierros and Jason Fierros, and Travis Meyer (wife Alexandra) and Jennifer Meyer (husband Grant Sudol), and her great grandchildren Ellie Gardner and Grant Gardner, and last but not least, her faithful friend (cat) Macho.

Jo was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Peter William Meyer, her older brother Robert (Bob) Jordan, her mother Amanda Josephine Jordan and her father Robert Charles Jordan.

In addition to being a mother of two, Jo was adored and loved by many friends and family who considered her their second mom.

Although her brother Bob was 11 years older, their two families enjoyed many holidays and family get togethers in their chosen home of California including an eventful and story filled houseboat trip along the San Joaquin Delta. As Jo would say, they made memories! Bob’s family includes Jo’s sister-in-law Maryann and nieces Kim and Julie.

In her younger years, Jo had the unique experience of being a daughter of theater owners. Her father took tickets and ran the film while her mother ran the concessions, and her grandmother played the piano during silent movie showings. Her father moved into print production and as a family they moved often.

They eventually settled in Wahpeton, North Dakota. As a teenager, Jo enjoyed dancing and going out with a group of tight-knit friends. Many of those friends she remained close to over all these years.

Jo met Pete Meyer in high school, a rebel and soon to be US Marine. They married and were shipped to San Diego California for training and follow-on stationing. After the Marines, they moved north as Pete looked for work and they settled in Antioch, California where they planted roots and raised a family. After retirement, they moved back to Minnesota to reconnect with family there and so Pete could reconnect with fishing and hunting. They enjoyed a lakefront property on Lake Buchanan and created lifelong friends with their neighbors. During these years they also enjoyed travelling in their RV to visit family and friends all over the US.

In her work life, JoAnne was employed for many years with AT&T and subsequent spin-off companies of AT&T. In her younger years, Jo was an operator working a switchboard when calls were manually connected (one ringy dingy!). Jo’s hobbies included sewing, crocheting, knitting, quilting, reading, and for a while, painting. She spoke very fondly of her quilting group of friends both in Minnesota and in Texas. She joked that she did more removing of stitches (ripping) than actual sewing, earning her the nickname of “Jo the Ripper.” She was persistent though and created many very beautiful quilts.

Jo stayed in Minnesota for a couple of years after Pete passed in 2017 then moved to Texas to be close to Jeff and Kay and warmer weather. She grew very fond of Kay’s side of the family (The Mading’s) and they embraced her as well. Jeff and Kay filled her final years with weekly outings to their favorite local hangouts in Schertz and San Antonio as well as excursion to other restaurants, breweries and wineries in South Texas and the Hill Country.

On her final day, Paula and Jeff sat bedside with their mom sharing childhood memories as she passed peacefully on Sunday afternoon, April 13th. Jo will be missed and remembered fondly by everyone who knew her.