Joena Meier

Joena Meier
Jacksonville - Joena E. Meier, 78, of Jacksonville, passed away at the home of her son in Springfield on Monday, October 6, 2025. Joena was born on October 7, 1946, the son of F. Byron Smith and Jean Adams Smith, who both preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Byron Leland Smith. She is survived by her children, JB Meier (Anne) and Alex Meier, stepchildren Liza Meier (Dimitri Rologis) and William "Billy" Meier, Jr. (Jurga); and grandchildren, Kenna Meier and Jace Meier.
Joena grew up on a rural farm outside of Franklin, enjoying the country life and learning to drive both tractors and farm trucks from a very early age. Joena attended Franklin High School and went on to get her bachelor's degree at Western Illinois University and her master's in Child Development and Family Relations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After living for a time in both Boston and San Diego, Joena returned to the Jacksonville area where she started a 34-year career at the Illinois School for the Deaf where among many subjects she taught family and consumer services and was the Coordinator of Cooperative Education. In 1979 she met and married the love of her life Bill Meier, and from their meeting all through over 40 years of marriage they were nearly inseparable. He preceded her in death in 2021.
Joena had a near endless supply of interests and hobbies. Following in the footsteps of her mother and father, she got her pilot's license at an early age and continued to fly her family's vintage Stinson airplane right up until the age of 78. Her passion for flying extended to many other areas, including becoming a premier collector of Charles Lindbergh memorabilia, organizing and hosting an annual Stinson fly-in in Jacksonville for many years, attending the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, WI annually for almost 40 years, and being an integral member of the Young Eagles program, which provides airplane rides to local youth. She was also a very active antique collector and dealer, with multiple booths operating in central Illinois antique malls over the years. Joena was an avid traveler, exploring countless locales both foreign and domestic with family and friends over the years, and then creating memorable photo and scrapbooks of her adventures upon her return.
Joena was very active in both community service as well as nationwide organizations; she previously served as the President of the Charles A. Lindbergh Society, the Secretary of the Experimental Aircraft Association, was a member of local chapters of the Explorers Club, Sorosis, the Illinois State Chapter PEO, Household Science, the Passavant Auxiliary, and upon her death was a sitting member of the Workforce Development Board with the West Central Development Council, Inc.
Joena was a lifelong member of the Durbin United Methodist Church where she was baptized and confirmed, and throughout her life was a core member of the congregation, participating in bible studies, choir, serving on the church board and committees, and could always be counted on to bring a tasty dish to a potluck while staying after to help clean up. Joena also had a deep love for music, especially classic rock, southern gospel, and the blues - she even bought a ticket and drove out to upstate New York in 1969 to attend the Woodstock music festival but was turned away by a 20-mile-long traffic jam. She greatly enjoyed playing mahjong with her friends at the Jacksonville County Club and was a doting and loving grandmother, never hesitating to babysit, attend countless sports events, or do a little shopping.
The family will meet friends from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Williamson Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Durbin United Methodist Church, the Jacksonville Public Library, or PAWS. Condolences may be left online at www.airsman-hires.com.