Obituary of Lawrence Alan Meister

Lawrence (Larry) A. Meister, 89, of Solon, Iowa, passed away on June 26 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics following a brief illness. A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 3 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Gay and Ciha Funeral Home in Iowa City, followed by a funeral service at 1:00 pm. A private burial will be held after the service at Oakland Cemetery in Solon.

Larry was born on August 16, 1935 in Brooklyn New York, to Edward and Minerva Meister. He grew up in Hempstead, on Long Island before becoming a transplanted Iowan. He and his wife Dee lived in the Solon area for 61 years, where they raised their children, Julie and Brad.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Larry came to Iowa to attend the University of Iowa. There he met the love of his life, Delores (Dee) Taves. They marriedon August 18, 1957. Larry then graduated from the University of Iowa, earning his BA in 1957, his MA in 1962, and his EDS in 1976. Shortly after he and Dee were married, Larry was drafted into the US Army. They spent the next two years in Maryland, and Larry did classified research at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. When Larry’s tour was up, he and Dee moved back to Iowa, built a house in the Lake Macbride area and started a family.

Larry’s 37-year career was spent in the Solon School District as a classroom teacher from 1962 to 1965, athletic director from 1964 to 1967, and high school principal from 1964to 1999. He was also the “voice of Solon” announcer for Solon Spartan football for 20 years. He felt that “Solon (HS) has been blessed with many talented, dedicated and caring faculty and staff that have contributed to the positive learning in the school.” He truly enjoyed his friendships with the HS staff and with the Solon community.

During his time as an educator and principal in Solon, Larry was recognized with many honors including the Iowa Association for Counseling and Development Outstanding Administrator of the Year in 1989 and the Brain Injury Association of Iowa Outstanding Educator for the East Central Group in 1997. He also received the IHSAA School Administrator’s Award in 1999.

Retiring in 1999 didn’t slow Larry down. He maintained his huge vegetable garden and he continued as a volunteer for many organizations. He was a founding member of the Vislisel Family Foundation, which offered four-year scholarships to Solon graduates, and was also a founding member of the Solon Area Community Foundation (SACT) where he served for 40 years as president. He was also on the board of the Solon Senior Advocates, and he helped found Our Lord’s Church in SolonAs members, he and Dee enjoyed helping with the weekend soup ministry and free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. He continued to earn several acknowledgements in retirement, among them Cornerstone Grand Marshall in the Solon Beef Days Parade in 2021, and was named Solon Senior Citizen of the Year by the Senior Advocates in 2022.

Having grown up in New York Larry was also a lifelong Yankees fan thanks to his uncle Marvin who took him to many games. Larry shared his love of the Yankees with his son Brad and his good friend Don Ellis. There was always much passionate discussion of good and bad trades, stats, great plays, and of course the ups and downs of Brad’s fantasy baseball team.

Larry and Dee were avid bridge players for many years. They also loved to travel and spend their free time together and with friends. Long family vacations early on in the station wagon were common during summer break, always ending in Florida or New York to visit family. In 1993, Larry gave Dee a camera for Christmas and this led to a long love affair with travel and nature photography. Larry and Dee spent weeks every summer traveling out west where they would hike and Dee would take hundreds of pictures. They were long-time participants in the Iowa City Camera Club.

Larry and Dee were devoted Hawkeye fans, especially football and basketball, often traveling to home and away games with a group of close friends. They even attended the Rose Bowl several times, starting in 1957, when they took the train to Pasadena to see the game. Larry and Dee have had women’s basketball season tickets for over 25 years.

Larry often told people what a great life he has had and how he wouldn’t change a thing. He will be dearly missed by so many.

Surviving Larry are his wife, Delores (Grand Living Bridgewater in Coralville); daughter, Julie (North Liberty); and several nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his son, Brad; his parents; and his sister, Linda.

A special thank you to Pastor Renee Lunemann for her guidance and support, and for being at his side at his passing. Thank you also to the ICU staff for their dedicated care and compassion during his stay.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Solon Library or the Solon Food Pantry.