James T Meyer

Funeral Services for James T. Meyer age 96 of Orchard will be held at 10:30 A.M. Friday, June 2nd at the St. Peter Lutheran Church in Orchard.  Visitation will be Thursday from 5-7 P.M. at the St. Peter Lutheran Church in Orchard.  Burial will be in the St. Peter Lutheran Cemetery.  Ashburn Funeral home in Orchard is in charge of arrangements.

James Theodore Meyer was born December 24, 1926, 3 Miles east and 5 ½ miles north of Orchard, NE to Theodore and Carrie (Noring) Meyer.  He went to his heavenly home on May 29, 2023 at age 96 yrs 5 mo and 5 days at Arbor Care Center in Neligh, NE.

In March 1927 the Theodore Meyer family moved to one of the Mahood Bros. farms 2 miles west, 1 south and ½ west of Orchard, NE.  On July 22, 1928 Ted and Carrie were blessed when a daughter they named Arlene was born and on December 15, 1930 they were blessed with another son they named Robert.  All 3 were baptized at the same time in the Inman United Methodist Church as youngsters. James went 8 yrs to the District 90 school and then 4 yrs to Orchard High School, graduating in 1944.  He was confirmed as an adult at St. Peter Lutheran.

James served in the U. S. Army in 1945 & 1946.  Most of his service time overseas was in General Douglas McArthur’s public relations office (PRO) in Tokyo Japan under the one star general Fran Baker.

Some of the other businesses operating in the Radio Tokyo Building were JOAK (a Japanese radio station), WVTR (the US Army radio station), Japanese Broadcasting Corp (which was in charge of the other Japanese radio stations), The Stars and Stripes, the US Army newspaper, and a Japanese Daily Newspaper.  The Allied war news correspondents had a room near his office.

James’ official job was personnel and supply clerk, but that did not keep him very busy so he was a “jack-of-all trades.”  A lot of his time was assigned to make out travel papers and arrange transportation for Allied news correspondents. Often James chaperoned them on their appointments because he spoke and understood the Japanese language, which he learned from radio announcer, Fuji-Kura.  The chaperoning of correspondents gave him the opportunity to see a lot of different places and visit with a lot of Japanese people.  He had many interesting experiences he recounted to his family.

When the war trial started up to prosecute Tojo and the other 27 major war criminals, James usually went out in the war ministry bldg to check the teletype machine weekly, and connected to PRO & Allied correspondents to report progress of trial without being there in person.

On June 18, 1950, James married Ardeth Marie Ruroede in the St. Peter Lutheran Church outside Orchard, NE.  They were blessed with 8 children.  James spent most of his adult life farming in the Orchard area with his wife, Ardeth.  After her death he was married to his friend, Betty Shrader Gunter for a few years.  James belonged to the VFW of Post 1151 Creighton and the Orchard Legion Club, and he was a member of the St. Peter Lutheran church.

Preceded in death by his parents, wife Ardeth, daughter Kathleen Faye Fick, infant grandchildren: Marie Ann & Craig Jeffery Meyer, great-grandchildren: Noah James Fick and Piper Ann Foxhoven, father and mother-in-law George and Esther (Lieswald) Ruroede.  Friend Betty Gunter.

Survived by sister, Arlene Stevens, Parker CO; brother, Robert Meyer, Orchard NE; sisters-in-law Evelyn Peden, California, & Arlene Engler, Grand Island, NE; 7 Children: Cheryl (Randy) Watson, Malcolm, NE; Brenda (Robert) Wood and Mark (Pamela) Meyer, Orchard, NE; Rita (Chuck) Foxhoven, Norfolk, NE; Lee (Rhonda) Meyer, Neligh, NE; Dawn (Robert) Stamp, Lincoln, NE; and Carrie Meyer, Bow Valley, NE and one son-in-law Edward Fick, Inman, NE.  Grandchildren:  Kimberly (Mike) Gordon, Timothy (Jennifer) Watson, Walter (Cecilia) Fick, Tara Fick, Preston (Sheena) Fick, Tammy (Joe) Jeffrey, Doug (Megan) Fick, Lance (Katie) Fick, Bethann (Kelly) Hibbs, Jennifer Eckmann, Jamie (Nathan) Kotschwar, Matthew Wood, Luke (Jessica) Wood, Ted (Christy) Meyer, Abe (Cindy) Meyer, Denise (Randy) Pilcher, Wesley (Teresa) Meyer, Joe (Kassie) Meyer, Keith (Sheila) Meyer, Bryan (Ranell) Foxhoven, Paul (Paloma) Foxhoven, Charles (Stacey) Foxhoven, Jay (Abby) Foxhoven, Marie (Darwin) Murillo, Karl (Medhanjali) Foxhoven, Eric (Jill) Meyer, Kendra (Adam) Mortonsen, Chelsey (Kai) Kastrup, Misha Coleman and Stephanie Meyer; over 50 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.