Frank W. Messer Jr.

Frank W. Messer Jr., 82

Frank W. Messer Jr., 82, of West Lafayette, died at 12:07 a.m. Tuesday, December 18, 2012, at Indiana University Health Hospital. He was born November 1, 1930, in Kendallville, to the late Frank and Opal Moore Messer.

A 1949 graduate of Kendallville High School in northern Indiana, Messer received a degree in government in 1953 from Indiana University. He graduated from the IU School of Law in 1958. He also served as first Lieutenant with the U.S. Army infantry. He moved to Connersville where he worked as a lawyer for more than 31 years. He married Jane Jamison on December 26, 1980 and she survives.

Frank was the Connersville City Judge form 1960 to 1963, Deputy Fayette County Prosecuter from 1965 to 1968, and served as city attorney in 1983. Messer served 2 terms as the Fayette County Superior Court Judge and retired in 2005. He was a past president of the Connersville Jaycees, past president of Whitewater College Programs, past director of the YMCA, and a past trustee of Fayette Memorial Hospital. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Connersville and later joined the Central Presbyterian Church in Lafayette In.

Messer had a passion for music and enjoyed listening to jazz while playing along with his drums. He enjoyed boating and being on the water and also was a talented woodworker. Frank was a dog lover and an avid Indiana University Sport fan. He loved his Hoosiers and an ice cold Weidemann Beer.

Surviving along with his wife Jane Messer, his children: Daughter Susan McGary, husband Cris of Destin, Fla.; Grandchild Summer; and Great-Grandchildren Tabytha and Andrew; Grandchild Emily; and Great-Grandchild Aubrey Grace; Grandchildren Erin and Cailyn; Daughter Kathy Messer of Denver Co., and Daughter Karen Messer of Los Angeles. Also surviving are Jane's children; Jamison Tatman of Cincinnati, Sarah Palazzo of Fairfield, Conn., and Scott Tatman of Grand Rapids, Mich. A private service will be held at a later date for family only. Please leave condolences at www.soller-baker.com. For those whom wish to make a contribution, please choose a charity or cause of your choice.