Ernestine Rose Meier

My mother was born July 3, 1932. It was the depth of the Great Depression. Many people consider her generation to be the greatest this nation has ever seen. Ernestine Meier was the embodiment of all that was right. She grew up in a large family of poor farmers. By growing up in poverty, she learned to appreciate the things she had, not to cry about the things she didn't have. From this she learned the value of life, not possessions. As a child, she watched her older brothers go off to war. With all the love in her heart for the ones she so looked up to, she learned the idea of self-sacrifice. It instilled in her that she was not the center of the world. Her love for others meant giving up her vanity for the good of others. She would wear the same pair of shoes for years so I would have a pair on my feet. She always considered herself last. At the age of 19, she married the love of her life, Bill Meier. Many lessons were learned here. Hard work was her calling. Raising six children with various degrees of success was a monumental task, but she persevered. She poured her heart into her family. A lesson learned at this point was forgiveness; whether it was forgiving her spouse or her children, she became one not judgmental, but understanding. She learned the lesson to judge not. With many women, they dread the idea of being a grandmother. Their vanity cannot deal with the onset of age. But, my mother relished the idea. She planned on spoiling this child like she never could her own children. With great anticipation, she saw the birth and death of her first grandchild, Melissa Kay Meier. Everyone in the family was devastated, but we found strength in my mother's faith. With all that she had been through, she had learned not to rely upon her own weaknesses but upon God's strength. When an anchor was needed, my mother was there. On Thanksgiving Day, the family gathered at my house. The lady who never made herself the center of her world had become the center of ours. Never had a woman attained more love within her family than this lady. Upon leaving, she told me that this would be the last time she would be at my house. She knew her time was forthcoming. Was she afraid? No. She was to rejoice all the ones she had lost. To be held by her mother again. To hold Melissa in her arms where she had been denied before. My mother died today. With all that she had lost in her life, she took a thousand hearts with her last breath. So, we sorrow not for the loss we feel, but rejoice for the gain she was made. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and June Huff; her husband, Bill Meier; son, Rick Meier; and granddaughter, Melissa Kay Meier. She is survived by 5 children: Walter (Teresa) Meier, Bob (Cindy) Meier, Thomas (Carrie) Meier, Scott (Lida) Meier, Wanda (Perry) Whitworth. She leaves 17 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. A visitation will be held Monday, December 1, 2014 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Palms Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at 10:00 am at Second Baptist Church in Angleton. Burial will be in Mount Taber Cemetery in Graysville, IN. Provide comfort for the family by planting a tree in memory of Ernestine Rose Meier, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store. Visitation Monday, December 1st, 2014 5:00pm - 7:00pmService Information Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014 10:00am, Second Baptist Church (Angleton) 1817 Shanks Rd Angleton, TX 77515