Celebrate Shirley Adele Meyer

Dear MCCC Family,

Last Friday, MCCC lost our single most important benefactor, Mrs. Shirley Meyer. Mrs. Meyer was our single most important benefactor, not only because of the funds she gave to MCCC, but also because of the time and talents she shared with MCCC. I am sad to say that I never had the honor, privilege, or pleasure to meet Mrs. Meyer. Of course, I heard much about her and frequently asked about her, but never had the opportunity to meet her because of her failing health. Although we never met, her legendary reputation preceded her. I remain in awe of this great woman whose spirit remained indomitable to the very end.

Mrs. Meyer is one of those giants on whose shoulders I stand today as I proudly serve as the fifth president of this great institution. It is because of Mrs. Meyer’s generosity and magnanimity that we now have an established MCCC Foundation that awards over $500,000 in scholarships to needy and deserving students each year. It is because of Mrs. Meyer’s philanthropic spirit and largesse that the La-Z- Boy Center now stands on campus as a center of educational upliftment and entertainment for the entire Monroe County Community. It is because of Mrs. Meyer’s vision and fortitude that we now have a grants office that has secured additional funds to sustain this great institution.

Thank you, Mrs. Shirley Meyer for your lifelong dedication and commitment to serving the underserved and less fortunate of our county. May your soul rest in eternal peace.

Sincerely,

Kojo

President, MCCC

Mrs. Shirley Meyer (1922 - 2013)
The Toledo Blade—Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

(News Article) Shirley Meyer, who had a great love of the arts and gave generously to Monroe County Community College, died Friday at the IHM Motherhouse Health Care Center in Monroe. She was 91.

"She was there for three and a half months, and she was in declining health," said her son, Michael Meyer, who lives in LaSalle, Mich.

Mr. Meyer said his mother knew it was the "end of the road," and she faced it straightforward and honestly.

"She was very much at peace. She would say I'm ready to go see your dad and my parents. About 3:30 in the afternoon, I had the window cracked in her room, and she flew away," said Mr. Meyer.

Mr. Meyer said he was extremely touched when a few minutes after his mom died, they rang the bell in the facility, a honor usually reserved for the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"I was on the phone with my sisters in Colorado telling them that mom passed, and I heard the bell, and it gave me chills," he said.

Mrs. Meyer was a leader in the Monroe community and a philanthropist. Her $1 million donation to the Foundation at Monroe County Community College was the largest donation in the school's 35-year history.

"Monroe Auto Equipment started right here in Monroe, and I wanted to return a measure of that success to the community," The Blade reported that she told a crowd gathered for the announcement in 1999.

Mrs. Meyer's late father-in-law, August Meyer, founded Monroe Auto Equipment in 1916, and her late husband, Richard, was a top executive in the company.

The school used her donation to build up a capital campaign for the construction of an Instructional Center for Business Training and what later became known as the Meyer Center for Performing Arts. The campaign eventually raised $13.5 million dollars and was used to construct the La-Z-Boy Center on campus, Mr. Meyer said.

She was born Sept. 1, 1922, in Champaign, Ill., to Adelle Muburak Madden and Walter Benjamin Madden. Her father was a brakeman for the the Illinois Central Railroad. He was killed in a rail accident in 1925, and her mother relocated the family to Highland Park, Mich.

Mrs. Meyer graduated from Highland Park High School in 1940. She took a job with Michigan Bell in Detroit and was eventually assigned to the Monroe office as a supervisor. She met her husband, Richard, in Monroe and the two were married Aug. 10, 1946.

"I was pregnant with my daughter Karen, and [Mr. Meyer] used to come in my grocery store," said Lucillee Vuich, 82, Mrs. Meyer's long-time friend. The store Mrs. Vuich owned with her husband, Danny, was called Food Town but is currently known as Danny's Fine Food.

"He [Mr. Meyer] looked at me and said 'you are pregnant too ... so is my wife.' A couple days later we got together, and we have been best friends since," said Mrs. Vuich.

Mrs. Vuich described Mrs. Meyer as a private woman who did not like to boast or show off but was very generous to her friends.

Surviving are daughters, Tamela Fitzgibbons and Deborah Almada; son, Michael Meyer; three grandsons, and one step-grandson

Services will be 5 p.m. Saturday at the IHM Motherhouse Chapel in Monroe, where visitation will begin at 3:30 p.m.

The family suggests tributes to The Foundation at Monroe County Community College with a designation for the Meyer Endowment for the Performing Arts.

- Blade Staff Writer Marlene Harris-Taylor

Published in Toledo Blade on Nov. 13, 2013

On the left, little Shirley Madden aboard ship en route to her mother's home in France.

On the right, Miss Shirley Schroeder's 6th birthday party on Sepember 1st,1928

Local philanthropist Shirley Meyer dies at 91

 BY RAY KISONAS
rayk@monroenews.com
Shirley A. Meyer, a Mon­roe  philanthropist whose $1 million dollar donation launched the construc­tion  of the La-Z-Boy Cen­ter  and the theater that bears her name, died qui­etly  Friday. She was 91.
  The wife of the late Richard M. Meyer, whose father founded Monroe Auto Equipment, Mrs. Meyer was a strong sup­porter  of Monroe County Community College and the performing arts. Her gift led to the creation of the Richard M. and Shirley A. Meyer Theater, a 575­seat facility that has been the site of many produc­tions,  plays and concerts since its grand opening in 2004.
  William H. Braunlich, vice chair of the MCCC board of trustees and close family friend, es­timated  that a quarter of a million people have visited the theater since its opening. He called it an exquisite centerpiece of the facility. The gift, he said, inspired others to donate, including the state of Michigan.
“ She energized every­one,” Mr. Braunlich said. “Her gift inspired every­one  to achieve a long sought-after goal: a world­class  instructional and performing arts center on the campus of MCCC. This is simply an excep­tional  legacy.”
Mrs. Meyer’s son, Mi­chael,  said his mother passed away peacefully at 3: 25 p. m. at the Immacu­late  Heart of Mary Moth­erhouse Health Care Cen­ter,  where she had been for 3½ months.
“She would be the first person to say what a great life she had,” Mr. Meyer said. “She was just really, really happy.”
Mr. Meyer said his mother’s donation to MCCC was something she was proud of because she was such a strong sup­porter  of the college and visual and performing arts.
“Our family has always been grateful for our roots in this exceptional com­munity  and this was a wonderful way to pay it forward,” he said. “Even in her very last days, if some­one  mentioned the Meyer Theater, my mother sim­ply  beamed with joy.”
In addition to Michael, Mrs. Meyer is survived by two daughters, Tamela Fitzgibbons and Deborah Almada, both of Colorado. Visitation and an interde­nominational  memorial service will be held at the Motherhouse Chapel next Saturday, Nov. 16.

Shirley Adele Meyer, age 91, a highly respected community leader in Monroe, Michigan, died on Friday, November 8th, 2013 at the IHM Motherhouse Health Care Center following three and one-half months of residence.

 Shirley was born on September 1st, 1922 in Champaign, Illinois to Adele Mubarak Madden and Walter Benjamin Madden.   Shirley’s father was employed by the Illinois Central Railroad as a brakeman and was killed in a railroad accident on September 18, 1925.  Upon hearing the tragic news, Walter’s father, William Dylan Madden had a massive heart attack and also died.  The front page of the Champaign newspaper, The News – Gazette, carried the headline “Death Invades Madden Family Again; W. D. Madden is Dead”.  The family held a double funeral service; both Shirley’s father, age 28, and her grandfather, age 58, were buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Urbana, Illinois.

 Following her husband’s death, Adele Madden returned to family in her native France for a period of time before relocating to Highland Park, Michigan, and marrying Charles Schroeder of Detroit. Shirley’s childhood years (now Shirley Schroeder) were spent in Highland Park and she graduated from Highland Park High School in 1940.  Following high school graduation, Shirley took classes at Highland Park Junior College, worked for Michigan Bell at the corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit, and was eventually assigned to Monroe, Michigan in a supervisory capacity to train operators in the new “dial system”. At that time in early 1944, Monroe still used a manual system with crank phones. Shirley, at age 22, began her assignment in Monroe staying at the historic Park Hotel located on Loranger Square. This assignment would shape the rest of her life and led to a wonderful circle of Monroe friends.

 Shirley’s older brother and only sibling, Lt. Walter J. D. Madden, United States Navy, was killed in action on September 24, 1944, while serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and participating in the US Navy raid on Coron Bay in the Philippine Sea.   In the early morning of September 24, 1944, a total of 120 aircraft flew 350 miles away from their aircraft carriers and staged a surprise aerial attack against the Japanese supply fleet of 24 ships at anchor in Coron Bay.  This was one of the longest range missions ever attempted by carrier based aircraft.  Lt. Madden, a member of the VB-18 squadron was on a bombing run at low altitude when his plane was hit; it flipped over and exploded when it struck the water.  Lt. Madden and his gunner were killed instantly. In early September of 2001, Shirley made a tearful pilgrimage to the Chapel of Remembrance aboard the USS Intrepid docked at Chelsea Piers in New York City; the chapel honors her brother and every sailor who lost their life while serving this country aboard the USS Intrepid.

 Shirley married Richard M. Meyer, a dashing, blond United States Navy pilot, on August 10, 1946.  Richard M. Meyer was the youngest son of August F. Meyer, founder and first president of Monroe Auto Equipment Company. “Dick and Shirley”, as they were known to their friends, raised their three children at the brick ranch home they built on Hollywood Drive in the Woods in the mid-1950s.  During the early 1970s Dick and Shirley discovered the beauty of then undeveloped Hutchinson Island off Stuart, Florida and purchased a series of ocean-front condominiums as their winter residence.

 Richard M. Meyer served as an executive of Monroe Auto Equipment until his retirement from the company in 1977.  Mr. Meyer died on June 8, 1984, at age 67, following a lengthy illness.  

 Shirley is survived by her three children:  Tamela Fitzgibbons of Castle Pines, Colorado, Deborah (Amado) Almada of Larkspur, Colorado, and Michael R. Meyer (William H. Braunlich) of LaSalle, Michigan.  Shirley is also survived by three grandsons, Ian August Fitzgibbons, of Breckenridge, Colorado, Ryan Michael O’Connor and Thomas John O’Connor of Denver, Colorado, one step-grandson, James Almada of Colorado Springs, and several nephews and nieces, including Bonnie Meyer Bellestri and her husband Victor Bellestri of Monroe. Shirley is also survived by her beloved golden retriever Zeus.  

 Shirley served as a board member of The Foundation at Monroe County Community College and as a past board member of the Monroe Golf and Country Club.  She was active in a wide variety of organizations including the Monroe Thrift Shop, Monroe Women’s Center, Lotus Garden Club, Monroe County Historical Society, Mercy-Memorial Hospital Foundation and was a member and past deacon of the First Presbyterian Church. 

 In 1998, Shirley provided a high profile launch to the capital campaign for the Instructional Center for Business Training and the Performing Arts at Monroe County Community College with a 1 million dollar donation. Shirley’s lead gift provided the “Realizing the Vision” campaign with immediate visibility, credibility and momentum. The 12 million dollar campaign exceeded expectations, raised 13.5 million dollars and resulted in the beautiful facility now known as the La-Z-Boy Center of Monroe County Community College. The MCCC Board of Trustees, recognizing her inspirational leadership and exceptional generosity, named the 575 seat theater which functions as the exquisite centerpiece of the facility, the “Richard M. and Shirley A. Meyer Theater”.  Since its grand opening in the fall of 2004, the Meyer Theater has developed a reputation as a state of the art performing arts venue with outstanding acoustics and as a superb corporate and community classroom.  Shirley was extremely gratified by the success of the facility and was deeply touched by the many comments and expressions of thanks from so many people throughout the Monroe community.  Mrs. Meyer’s portrait, displaying her radiant smile and signature hair-style, hangs proudly in the atrium outside the Meyer Theater.

 In the summer of 2007, Shirley donated “Circle Squared” to MCCC, a contemporary stainless steel sculpture by Texas-based artist Nic Noblique. This sculpture, located at the main entrance to the La-Z-Boy Center/Meyer Theater, captured and reflected, in Mrs. Meyer’s opinion, the beauty, energy and excitement of the performing arts.

 Shirley’s passions included travel, theater, golf, pottery, reading, crosswords and interior decorating. During the last decade of her life, Shirley was an avid yachtsman and cruised the Great Lakes, the United States East Coast, the Florida Keys and the Out Islands of the Bahamas, including Bimini, the Abacos, Harbour Island, the Eleutheras and the Exumas.  She also spent time at “Buttonwood”, her condominium on Hutchinson Island, and at “Rio Tranquillo”, the Fort Lauderdale home of her son Michael R. Meyer and his partner, William H. Braunlich. 

 Visitation and an interdenominational memorial service celebrating Shirley’s life will be held at the IHM Motherhouse Chapel with Sister Patricia G. Rourke, IHM, officiating on Saturday, November 16th.  Visitation will begin at 3:30pm and the memorial service will begin at 5:00pm. Rupp Funeral Home will be handling arrangements for immediate cremation in accordance with Mrs. Meyer’s wishes. A private burial ceremony will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

 In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorial donations be made to “The Foundation at Monroe County Community College” with a designation for the Meyer Endowment for the Performing Arts. On line donations to MCCC can be made at The Foundation website: www.monroeccc.edu/foundation/donate.html.  Simply click the “Donate” button and follow the prompts. Donations to this endowment will ensure that the vibrant cultural arts programing at MCCC and the Meyer Theater will continue and inspire the next generation.

 Alternatively, the family suggests memorial donations to the SSIHM Retirement Fund http://ihmsisters.org/ or Mercy Memorial Hospice of Monroe http://www.mercymemorial.org/Main/Philanthropy.aspx

 The family extends their gratitude to Mercy Memorial Hospital CEO Annette Phillips; Shirley’s primary physician, Dr. John Kalenkiewicz; her orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ken McNamee; her dermatologist, Dr. Paulette Moulton,  as well as the superb nurses, staff and emergency room physicians of Mercy Memorial Hospital System and Mercy Memorial Hospice.  Special thanks and recognition to the wonderful IHM Sisters, caring nurses and exceptional  staff of the IHM Motherhouse Health Care Center and to special friend, poet, and psychologist, Dr. Patricia Rourke. And with enduring and profound appreciation, the family notes that Shirley’s quality and enjoyment of life during the past 18 years has been immeasurably enriched through the steadfast devotion of her friend and personal assistant, Anna Lee Samson.

 Family, friends and community members are also invited to share their sentiments and tributes to Mrs. Meyer by visiting www.forevermissed.com/