FRED GENE MYERS

1942 - 2017

Fred passed away peacefully at his home in El Centro, CA, September 17, 2017. Fred was born July 16, 1942, in Brawley to Billy and Lavada Myers. He grew up in Brawley and graduated from Brawley Union High School in 1961. He attended one year at Imperial Valley College. Fred married Judy Petree June 15, 1962 at the First Methodist Church in El Centro, California. They were married for 55 years. They had four children: Jana Earls (Wes) of Brawley, Cathy Ann Myers, Mary Brown (Edward) of Imperial, and Freddy Myers (Jennifer) of Chino. Fred had six grandchildren: Meghan Chalupnik (Trey) of Caldwell, ID, Weston Earls (Megan) of Brawley, Emily and Caitlin Brown, and Catherine and Serah Myers. He had six great-grandchildren Amber, Aubrey, Cash, Mandey, Chance, and Macie Chalupnik. Fred was preceded in death by his baby daughter, Cathy Ann, his parents Billy and Lavada Myers, his in-laws Joe and Opal Petree, and brothers and sisters-in law: Mike Petree, Lenora and Hugh Poole, Susan and Mike Hovley, and John Clark. He is survived by his brothers Bob and DeAnne Myers of Brawley and John and Peggy Myers of Imperial; sister Alice Clark of Brawley; brother and sister in-laws Anna and Kirby Teague of Imperial and Chris and Trish Petree of El Centro, and many nieces and nephews. Fred and his parents started Rio Bend Cattle Co. in Brawley in the late '50s. In 1973, they also purchased Reata Cattle Feeders in Holtville which was sold in 1980. He returned to work at Rio Bend to manage the feed yard until it was sold in 1987. During March of 1987, Fred and his family moved to El Dorado, Kansas where he managed a feed yard in Potwin, Kansas. After returning to Brawley in 1988, Fred worked at Robert Cummings Trucking. His last job, of 19 years, was working for Brandt Cattle Co. in Calipatria, California. In addition to operating cattle businesses, Fred also partnered with his buddy, Walt Sutton, in farming growing various crops such as cotton, wheat, and alfalfa. Fred was an original member of the Stockman's Club in Brawley, CA. He was also a member of the Sherriff's Posse. Fred was a member of and donated project work time to Desert Wildlife Unlimited. Fred enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He looked forward to hunting trips in the Chocolate Mountains, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. Fred loved time spent with great granddaughters, Amber and Aubrey, hunting in Idaho. He got a kick out of Jeep rides led by Walt Sutton around the desert, with his son Freddy, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. After his retirement, he also enjoyed the time he spent with family in the Laguna Mountains, as well as, traveling the Western half of the United States in a fifth wheel with his wife. One of his greatest joys in retirement was finding the time to do woodworking in his shop. He had a great time building piggy banks for all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Fred will be laid to rest on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, at Riverview Cemetery in Brawley, CA at 10 a.m.