Bernie Austin Meier

MEIER — Bernie Austin, 103; born June 27, 1916, Farmington, Washington; died Oct. 18, 2019, Royal Columbian Retirement Inn, Kennewick, Washington. Surviving: son, Larry Meier, Federal Way, Washington; daughter, Beverly (Meier) Horton, of Alaska; 11 grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and 6 step-great-grandchildren.

He was a graduate of Walla Walla College. While there he met Clara Roedel, who was also an education major. They were married on Aug. 19, 1939, in Boise, Idaho.

For the next 10 years, they both taught school in the Adventist school system. He took a break from teaching and worked at the Boeing factory in Seattle. In 1955, Bernie began teaching in the public school system and continued to do so for the next 22 years. The last 12 years of his teaching career were spent in the Walla Walla, Washington, area.

Clara passed away in 1990 after suffering a stroke. In 1991, Bernie moved to Pasco, Washington, and married Thelma Shephard.

In 1992, they spent a year teaching English in Taiwan. They both enjoyed traveling with friends and family. Bernie was very proud of the fact that his family introduced the first lentils from Europe. The first crop of lentils was grown in 1916, in Farmington, Washington.