LeRoy E. Meredith, 82, of Grinnell, passed away Oct. 11, 2024, at MercyOne Hospital in Des Moines. A memorial gathering will be held from 2-5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. A private family burial will be held at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Memorials may be designated for the Holden Research Fund (University of Iowa Health Care – Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center) or Poweshiek County Conservation Fund mailed to c/o Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.
LeRoy was born Oct. 11, 1942, to Leland and Erma “Irene” (Walker) Meredith in Poweshiek County. He attended K-12 at Searsboro and graduated with the Class of 1960. LeRoy liked to say that he graduated in the top 10 of his class, however, there were only eight in his class.
Dec. 28, 1960, LeRoy was united in marriage to Phyllis Sanders at Malcom Methodist Church. To this union, the couple had two sons Jason and Joel.
After graduating high school, LeRoy served in the Marines from 1960-1964. During that time, he was stationed in California and did an overseas tour. He was on what the Marines called a Floating Battalion stationed out of the Philippine Islands. He spent six months in Okinawa. He also spent 56 days in Udorn, Thailand. When he returned to the base in California, he was part of lining the streets as guard to President Kennedy. After his honorable discharge, he had the opportunity to be a bodyguard as a Grinnell Police Officer to President Eisenhower when Eisenhower visited Grinnell.
LeRoy retired in June 1998, from Grinnell Savings and Loan (now Lincoln State Bank). During his time at Grinnell Savings, he held positions as office manager, treasurer, v.p., president, and CEO. LeRoy was active in the Iowa Savings and Loan League as a director. He also served on the board of Mid West Conference of Savings and Loans.
Throughout the years, he was involved in various local groups, including Jaycees, Grinnell Chamber, Grinnell Mental Health Board, Advisory Board, Lions, Kiwanis, and Town and Gown. He coached little league teams and a fastpitch team.
LeRoy was an avid hunter. In his early years, he hunted rabbit and squirrel, and later, pheasant, deer, duck, and turkey. He enjoyed fishing and traveling, and he got his inspiration from nature. Nature gave him solace of mind. He was happiest when outside and followed The Golden Rule and The 10 Commandments.
His greatest enjoyments were Jason and Joel, along with their choices of wives and the time he spent with his grandchildren.
LeRoy is survived by his wife Phyllis of Grinnell; his sons Jason (Allison) Meredith of Johnston and Joel (Becky) Meredith of Altoona; his grandchildren Hunter, Abby, Katie, and Nick; his sisters Judy (Dennis) Mitchell of Grinnell and Betty Stepp of Grinnell; sisters-in-law Marty Meredith of Grinnell and Karol Schmidt of Grinnell; and brother-in-law Terry Neeley of Grinnell.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers Jerry Meredith and Lyle Meredith; his sisters Donna Arment, Yody Neely, and an infant sister Delores.