Richard "Dick" Donald Meyer

Richard “Dick” Donald Meyer passed away October 13, 2026, in the presence of his daughters Debbra and Trudy at Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 18,1936, to Charles Herman Meyer and Emma Ida Hess Meyer. Dick grew up in Dearborn, Michigan with his parents and older sister, Jaqueline.

He joined the Army as soon as he was able and was sent to Ft. Hood, Texas. That is where he met Loretta Truelove Mosley, and they were married in 1955. They raised 3 children, Debbra, Trudy and Glen. Dick served in the army for 13 years and was stationed at several posts but being a tank commander, he was always stationed back at Ft. Hood, Texas. He served in Korea and Vietnam. During his tour in Vietnam, he was wounded in a conflict called Ambush Alley. He received the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart. Dick completed his Army service in 1967 as Staff Sgt.

In 1968, Dick and family went to White’s City to visit relatives and he got a job at AMAX Potash Mines in the machine shop until he took a medical retirement. He had several hobbies over the years: drag racing, hot rods, water skiing, ham radios and CB radios, but his favorite hobby was building and flying radio-controlled airplanes. He started building planes before there were kits. He had the blueprints, cut the balsa wood, glued the parts together, then skinned them with a heat gun. For a short time, he had a little shop called the Hobby Hut where other enthusiast could purchase items to build their planes. Dick was a charter member of the Carlsbad Flying Club for radio-controlled planes. Their flying field was in Happy Valley by the shooting range. There are still enthusiasts flying there on weekends. After he developed Macular Degeneration and could no longer fly his planes, he started making wooden swings for dolls and potted plants. He was particular about his tools, garage and shop; everything in its place.

Dick always enjoyed watching TV (that was muted) and listening to the radio while sitting in his favorite rocker recliner drinking his coffee. He loved children and would get in the floor to play with them and make the craziest faces and noises. Babies and puppies were his Achilles Heel. When one particular great-granddaughter got on his nerves, he would double up his fist, grin and say, “To the Moon”. We wanted to interpret that to mean “I love you to the mood and back”. He learned how to navigate an iPad after he got one for Christmas. He even downloaded a game to fly planes on his iPad. If he cracked one of them up it wasn’t so expensive.

After the passing of his wife, Loretta, he married Lois LaVerne Henderson Truelove in 2003. They continued to love each other and live in Carlsbad until 2025, when he went to the Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home. Dick was known as Mr. Richard at Tuskegee and he enjoyed cutting up with the aids there. He remained there until his death at the age of 90 years.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Emma Meyer; sister, Jaqueline Cowette; son, Glen Meyer; wife, Loretta Truelove Meyer; grand daughter, Jessica Meyer; and step-son, Faron Truelove.

He was survived by his wife, LaVerne; daughters, Debbra London, and Trudy Gililland (Dick); step-daughter Susan Truelove Alexander; step-sons Danny Truelove, and Terry Truelove. Grandchildren Lisa London (Audrey), Scott London (Michelle), Michelle Polk (Walter), Elicia Butler (Brady), Nick Haggard, Christine Woodall, Samantha Brown (Sean), and Ryan Meyer (Heather). He is also survived by 20 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great-grandchildren.

Dick will be transported from Ft. Worth, Texas to Carlsbad, New Mexico by his grandson Scott London and Cycle Funeral Services. Services will be held at Denton Wood Funeral Home on Monday, October 19, 2026 at 10:00 am. Military Honors will be held at Sunset Gardens Memorial Park following the services.