Alex Alfred Meyer

Alex Alfred Meyer

Jacksonville, Fla.

Alex A. Meyer, 91, passed away in his home in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday, July 17, 2022, and is now at home with the Lord.

Alex was born on Feb. 1, 1931, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict. Once he was mature enough (as Alex liked to say), he graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in business administration in 1956. While at the University of Iowa, Alex met the love of his life, JoAnn, and they were married in 1955. Few who knew Alex would not remember the way he looked at JoAnn, or his “bride” as he still called her after more than 60 years of marriage.

After graduating from the University of Iowa, Alex began working for Amana Refrigeration, Inc. He was a born salesman and ultimately became chief executive officer of Amana Refrigeration, retiring as chairman of the board in 1997. His career was an example of leadership in both profit and non-profit enterprises. In 1985 he was the recipient of the Oscar C. Schmidt Iowa Business Leadership Award. He served on many boards, including of Merchants National Bank, Toro Company, Mercy Medical Center, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and Westminster Presbyterian Church, among many others. He was also the founder and president of the Foerstner Scholarship Foundation, which provided scholarships for children of employees at Amana Refrigeration.

While he was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alex had adopted hometowns of Amana, Iowa; St. George Island, Fla.; and Jacksonville, Fla. In those places, Alex adored spending time with his family and friends of all kinds, giving tours of the local establishments and always making people smile. He spent many days hunting, fishing and spending time outdoors, and enjoyed recounting stories of the same. Alex never met a stranger and, in his later years, enjoyed being about town; going to the Farmer’s Market, his favorite restaurant with JoAnn (where you could always find them at lunchtime), and visiting with family. He was immensely proud of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Alex is survived by his wife, JoAnn Meyer, of 66 years; son, Jeff Meyer (Anne); daughter, Margee Michaelis (Peter); grandchildren, Forest Meyer (Shea), Scott Meyer (Lindsay), Alexa Worsham (Mark) and William Michaelis (Brooke); and, great-grandchildren, Alice Grace, Huntley, Beckett, Bodie and Wells.

Alex will be remembered as a loving, generous and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. He will be missed dearly.

A private graveside service will be held for family on Aug. 2, with a reception to follow at 5 p.m. for family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Fla., or Amana Church – Kinderschule building project (food pantry), P.O. Box 103, Middle Amana, IA 52307.