Howard L. Meier, age 100, a lifelong resident of Prescott, was welcomed home on March 5, 2024, at the Prescott Nursing and Rehabilitation Care Center. Howard was born on a cold morning in January 1924 at a farmstead in Oak Grove Township on what is today County Road QQ. In those days, the doctor wasn’t readily available and didn’t show up until the next morning, arriving by horse and sleigh. He attended a one-room country school before graduating from Prescott High School in the class of 1942. Times were tough, as Dad would often say; the farmland wasn’t good for growing any crops except for rocks.
When World War II broke out, boys back then knew what their post-high school life involved, so Howard signed up. For the first time in his life, he left Oak Grove and the comforts of his home. He enlisted in a new branch of the Army—the Army Air Corps—with a buddy he had met, hoping they would be kept together. That plan didn’t last long as they were both sent their separate ways. He eventually became a bombardier on the B-29 bomber. Luckily, the war ended before he shipped off. He remained in the reserves until 1950 and has been a proud member of the American Legion and VFW since. He truly was a member of the greatest generation!
When he returned home, he started dating Alvera Schommer from Big River. He would be united in marriage to her on Sept. 14, 1960, and a son, Joe, was born four years later. As a family, they made Prescott their home. Sadly, Alvera would pass away at an early age of cancer, causing Howard to be a single parent during a difficult time with his sister Doris and mother helping him raise Joe. Years later, he would meet a young woman, Arlene Wiskerchen at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where they were both members of the choir. They would court and later marry at St. Joseph’s. They lived in Prescott until her passing in 2014.
Being born and raised during the Depression, he learned to appreciate things many others take for granted. He could have been referred to as frugal. For example, he kept every rubber band from his morning Pioneer Press newspaper just in case it could be used later. Although prudent with his money, it did not stop him from being kind and sharing his blessings with others.
He was a volunteer firefighter in Prescott for many years, as well as a volunteer with Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis. In later years Arlene and Howard would volunteer their time at St. Joseph’s as well as at the nursing home.
Howard was a man of deep faith and family, teaching Joe and his family to have great faith in God as well as family and country.
The family would like to express their deep appreciation to the staff at the Prescott Nursing and Rehabilitation Home for the love and care they provided to Howard.
The Mass of Christian Burial was held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 269 Dakota St. S., Prescott, WI. Visitation was 5-7 p.m. Monday, March 11 at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home, 1339 Orrin Road, Prescott, Wi, as well as one hour prior to the mass at the church on Tuesday morning. Burial with full military honors, paying respect to Howard’s service in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, followed at the parish cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the discretion of the family.
Services are entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Prescott, www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com, 715-262-5404.
