Roland Meffert's Obituary
Roland W. Meffert, 83 of Hurricane, West Virginia left this earth peacefully on October 1, 2022 after a short illness.Roland was born July 29, 1939 in Czechoslovakia to Wilhelm Otto Meffert and Evelyn Ernestine Meffert.He was a 1958 graduate of St Patrick's Catholic School. He was retired from Thomas and Betts where we worked for over 30 years as an inventory control manager.Roland was preceded in death by his father, Wilhem Meffert of Waldkraisburg, Germany; his mother, Evelyn Meffert of Weston, WV; his aunt, Betty Tomaschko of Weston, WV and his sister, Rosemarie Faris of Brandon, FL.He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Judith Meffert of Hurricane, WV; his children, Roland W "RW" Meffert II (Mary) of Hurricane, WV, Renee Hardcastle (Mark) of Scottsville, KY, and Ryan Meffert of Hurricane, WV and six grandsons: Ian Hardcastle, Ben Meffert, Logan Hardcastle, Christian Meffert, Austin Meffert, and Dylan Meffert.Roland was born in 1939 in Czechoslovakia in the days leading up to World War II to a German father and American mother. When he was 3, his father, a school teacher was drafted into the army. Shortly thereafter, Roland moved with his mother and sister to Sudetenland to live with his grandparents, Henry and Maria Tomaschko. In 1945, his grandparents returned to the US with only a few belongings and started over in America. At this same time, his mother worked as a translator for the American Red Cross and was smuggled into Germany by American troops. She was forced to leave Roland and Rosemarie behind to live with relatives. About a year later, Wilhelm, Evelyn, Rosemarie and Roland were reunited. In 1948, Evelyn decided to leave Germany with Rosemarie (12 yrs. old) and Roland (9 yrs. old) and move to the US. They arrived in Ellis Island and took a train to Weston, WV to live with his grandparents.Roland grew up in Weston, WV and graduated high school in 1958. He proudly served 4 years in the Army Reserve (1957-1960) and 4 years in the US Army (1960-1964) where he was stationed in Germany. In 1966, he married Judith "Judy" Burkhammer. In 1968, he graduated from WV Wesleyan with a Business degree.He and Judy spent most of the early years of their marriage in Parkersburg, WV where their 3 children were born. During this time, they developed many friendships, including a special life-long friendship with Bill and Jeanie Gallager (Kelly Honey, Carrie Boot). They later relocated to Tennessee for work but returned to West Virginia in 2011 when Roland retired. Roland loved spending time with family and friends, taking "short-cuts" on the back roads, scratchers, 50's and 60's music, German music, singing in the car, his many pets, and telling stories. In 2018, he was able to travel back to Germany with his 3 children, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and 6 grandsons. He was proud of his heritage and was proud to share the "old country" with his family. This trip was special for everyone and created a lifetime of memories.At his request, a public service will not be held. The immediate family will honor him with private memorial service. Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville, OH, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family at ehallfuneralhome.com.
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