Growing up, working hard and serving others: the story of Ron Meyer

Ron Meyer has spent most of his life rooted in the community of Fairmount, Indiana. Born in Marion and raised along State Road 37, he grew up in a hardworking family known in the area for their strong values and good character. His parents, Mike and Martha Meyer, taught him the importance of working hard, enjoying life, and caring for others—lessons that shaped the course of his life.

After graduating from Fairmount High School as part of the first class to finish in the new high school building, Meyer spent 27 years as a UPS driver serving surrounding communities. Through his work, he came to know the people and places of the region well.

Faith became a defining part of Meyer’s life when he was 18. Years later, after retiring from UPS, he stepped into pastoral ministry at Harmony Christian Church, where he served for 17 years, continuing his lifelong commitment to faith, family, and community. Read his story below in his own words.

I met my wife Jackie the summer after we graduated from high school. My cousin and I had moved into my grandmother’s little house outside of Fairmount. One evening Jackie came by with a friend of hers who was dating my cousin.

That was the first time I saw her, and that very evening I prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, I want to marry her.” She wasn’t too crazy about me at first, but I was crazy about her from the very first minute.

We dated two years and now we’ve been married over 50 years. Of course, marrying Jackie was a highlight of my life. We have two kids, 10 grandkids, and one great-grandchild.

I was born in Marion at the hospital. Then we lived with my dad’s mom and dad for the first six months or so in Fairmount on Henley Avenue. After that we moved to a little farm north of Wabash. When I was three and a half we moved to where my sister and I were raised on State Road 37.

I went to school all 12 years here in Fairmount. I went six years at Liberty Elementary, then to the old Academy for junior high, and then to Fairmount High School. Midterm of my senior year we moved out to the new high school. That would have been 1970, and in 1971 we were the first class to graduate from there.

I’ve been raised around here my whole life. I did the Little League thing. My dad coached Little League for 20 years, and we were always involved in the community. I’ve always really enjoyed Fairmount.

My parents bought the property on State Road 37 for $10,500 for two and a half acres. His dad told him that was the dumbest thing he could ever do and that there was no way anybody could ever pay that off in a lifetime. That was in 1956, so things have changed quite a bit.

I was raised in a very good home. It wasn’t a Christian home, but it was a very good home. My mom and dad, Mike and Martha Meyer, were very good people. We struggled financially some in the early years, but Mom and Dad always knew two things. They knew how to work hard and they knew how to play hard. I’ve always admired that about them.

I came to know the Lord when I was 18. I was working at a little factory in Marion called Tulux Plastics. There was a guy there named Virgil Jackson. He had salt-and-pepper hair combed straight back, walked with a little lope, and he smoked cigarettes, but he talked about Jesus all the time.

I had never heard anybody talk about Jesus out in public like that. But he was always sharing Jesus with me. One day he showed me a New Testament Bible he had that had gone through a kitchen fire. The cover had gotten seared, and he had taken duct tape and made a new cover for it.

He helped me realize that even though I was a good person and stayed out of trouble, I still needed a Savior. He wound up giving me that Bible, and he led me to the Lord. I’m very grateful to Virgil Jackson for that.

After I became a Christian, I began witnessing to my parents. It took about 20 years, but eventually both my mom and dad received Christ too.

I drove for UPS for 27 years. I delivered in Huntington for eight years, Wabash for nine years, and then my last 10 years were in Upland and Gas City.

Whenever I retired from UPS, I felt like I might do something ministry-wise, but I never expected to become a pastor. Harmony Christian Church was my sister’s church, and they asked me to fill in between pastors. One thing led to another and it seemed like a good fit. Seventeen years later we found out it really was.

Looking back now, even those 27 years at UPS were training for the ministry years that followed.

Probably the greatest lesson I’ve learned is the power of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter five—love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, meekness, temperance, and self-control. If we learn to walk in those things, God takes care of everything else.

Growing up, we did a lot of camping. By the time I was 12 years old I had been in 35 states. My dad’s sister lived in Oregon, and we would take a fold-down camper out there traveling across the country.

Even today Jackie and I still enjoy camping. We like going to state parks like Clifty Falls and Brown County. I also enjoy fishing.

I played sports all through school, especially baseball. After high school I played city-league softball for 17 years. Some seasons we played more than 80 games. Now we spend a lot of time watching our grandkids play sports. Between that and church life, it keeps us pretty busy.

Later in life I had the opportunity to go on several mission trips. I’ve been to Honduras six times and to Juarez, Mexico. Those trips really opened my eyes.

If I could make one thing mandatory, it would be that every young person go on a mission trip before they turn 18. You realize very quickly how blessed we are here in America.

When I look back on life, I’m thankful for my parents, my family, my faith, and the community I grew up in. Those things have shaped who I am.