James T. Meyer

Orchard — James Theodore Meyer, 96, of Orchard, died May 29, 2023 at Arbor Care Center in Neligh.

Visitation was held Thursday, June 1, 2023 at the St. Peter Lutheran Church in Orchard.

Funeral services were held Friday, June 2, 2023 at the church in Orchard.

Burial was in the St. Peter Lutheran Cemetery in Orchard.

Memorials may be made to the family for future designation.

Ashburn Funeral Home in Orchard was in charge of the arrangements.

James was born Dec. 24, 1926, three miles east and five and a half miles north of Orchard to Theodore and Carrie (Noring) Meyer. In March 1927 the Theodore Meyer family moved to one of the Mahood Bros. farms two miles west, one south and  one-half west of Orchard.  

On July 22, 1928 Ted and Carrie were blessed when a daughter they named Arlene was born and on Dec. 15, 1930 they were blessed with another son they named Robert. All three were baptized at the same time in the Inman United Methodist Church as youngsters. 

James went eight years to the District 90 school and then four years 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 and 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 U.S. Army radio station), Japanese Broadcasting Corp. (which was in charge of the other Japanese radio stations), The Stars and Stripes, the U.S. 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 building to check the teletype machine weekly, and connected to PRO and Allied correspondents to report progress of the trial without being there in person.

On June 18, 1950, James married Ardeth Marie Ruroede in the St. Peter Lutheran Church outside Orchard. They were blessed with eight 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.

James is survived by one sister Arlene Stevens of Parker, CO; one brother Robert Meyer of Orchard; two sisters-in-law Evelyn Peden of California and Arlene Engler of Grand Island; seven children Cheryl (Randy) Watson of Malcolm, Brenda (Robert) Wood and Mark (Pamela) Meyer, all of Orchard, Rita (Chuck) Foxhoven of Norfolk, Lee (Rhonda) Meyer of Neligh, Dawn (Robert) Stamp of Lincoln and Carrie Meyer of Bow Valley; one son-in-law Edward Fick of Inman; 30 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.

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