MILDRED M. MEIER

Mildred Marie Meier, age 91, died on January 19 at the Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau.

She was born July 19, 1907, in New Melle, Mo., the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Oscar A. Muhm. She married Hadley J.W. Meier on January 7, 1942. Mr. Meier preceded her in death on June 12, 1955.

After graduating from St. Charles High School in 1924, Mrs. Meier first worked as a grade school teacher and later in the New Melle Bank, and as a bookkeeper before attending St. Luke's School of Nursing in St. Louis, where she graduated in 1935, ranking third in Missouri in her performance on the state board examination. Thereafter, she attended Columbia University in New York on a scholarship before returning to St. Lukes as a Surgical Nurse, and she later worked as a nurse on the staff at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.

In 1943 she moved to Cape Girardeau when Mr. Meier joined the Commercial Art Department at the Southeast Missourian which he headed until his death. Thereafter, Mrs. Meier returned to nursing, with most of her working life being as an employee of Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. At Southeast, she opened the recovery room on April 8, 1958. This was, at the time, the first recovery room between St. Louis and Memphis, and through the time of her retirement in 1972, it was reported that more than 27,000 patients passed through the facility.

Mrs. Meier was very active in her retirement with major interests in gardening, volunteering for St. Francis Hospital, participating in the Fort D senior citizens group, traveling to many national and international destinations, and ballroom dancing where she won several local contests. She was a member of Evangelical UCC where she was active in the Mary Martha Circle.

Mrs. Meier was acknowledged for her commitment to athletics and physical fitness. In her early years, she was highly competitive in women's tennis, and throughout her life she was an avid walker.

Survivors include her son, J. Dale Meier and daughter-inlaw, Lydia (Bunch) Meier of St. Louis and formerly of Cape, two granddaughters Gayle and Katie Meier; a sister, Edith Cooper of St. Louis; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. A brother, Dr. Harvard Muhm,. preceded her in death.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday., Jan. 23, 1999 at Evangelical United Church of Christ. Arrangements will be made by Ford & Sons Mt. Auburn Chapel. There will be no visitation. Burial service will be private at Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau, the Rev. James Caughlin officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The American Cancer Society or the Evangelical UCC Church in Cape.