Frances Meyers

FRANCES JOAN
MEYERS
ITHACA, New York - An irreverent woman for over 80 years, Frances Joan Meyers of South Bend, Indiana, died peacefully at home at McGraw House on Saturday, September 6. Joan is survived by her lifelong companion, James Meyers; her two sons, Pete and David; and their partners, Mary Loehr and Anwen Tormey.
Born June 18, 1928, Joan was the daughter of John Patrick (deceased) and Margaret Gillen (also deceased); her brother Patrick died in Chicago in 1989. Joan grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930s, and her concern with labor issues and her passion for justice stemmed in part from her childhood experiences. Her family took part in one of the first successful industrial union sit-down strikes in the country at the Bendix Products Corporation in South Bend in 1936. Alongside these interests, Joan loved beauty and was fond of drawing nature scenes and seagulls, ladybugs, and the family's cats.
Joan moved to New York City in 1954 and worked for the Columbia University library until 1960. As with many young women of her generation and social class, Joan was often frustrated at the doors that closed in front of her, and was proud to finally graduate from Indiana University at South Bend in 1987. She excelled in her studies of labor history and anthropology. She worked at the University's library and was a book buyer for its bookstore until her retirement in 1993. She also taught Sunday School for several years at the First Unitarian Church in South Bend.
Joan's life included many great friends beyond her immediate family, and her family remembers the wild social times shared with them in the '60s. Her involvement in antiwar and civil rights struggles made her many allies in diverse circles. A tough character, she rarely backed down from a fight … if it was a good one.
A celebration of Joan's life will be held at First Unitarian Church in Ithaca at 6 p.m., Wednesday, September 10. We invite you to join us afterwards for pizza in the Church's parlor. As the family will be picking flowers for the service, they ask those who wish to make a contribution in Joan's memory consider making a donation to a labor-related cause of their choice. "Pray for the dead
and fight like heck
for the living"
… Mother Jones