CONIFER —
Norman Franklin “Norm” Meyer Sr., a local icon and longtime Conifer resident known for his ranching history, picturesque yellow ranch house and a Cessna plane he flew from a homemade runway, died Nov. 21.
He was 97.
“He was an amazing community advocate,” said Shirley Johnson, president of the Conifer Area Council.
“He kind of grew up with the community and was instrumental in so many facets of the community,” she said. “He was such a people person and very interested and very involved.”
Meyer was born Jan. 15, 1917, in Trinidad. His paternal grandfather emigrated from Germany in the 1860s and established a homestead in Gardner. Meyer spent his childhood helping his father manage JM Ranch and herding cattle over Pass Creek Pass for summer grazing in the San Luis Valley.
Seeking to continue the family tradition, he and his wife, Ethel, whom he married in 1941, moved to 350 acres in Conifer in 1950. At one time, the ranch was nearly 600 acres.
In 1986, the couple helped Jefferson County Open Space acquire some of their land, which became part of 397-acre Meyer Ranch Park.
Ranching and aviation were dual passions of Meyer’s. After a $1 recreational plane ride got him hooked, Meyer trained with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Oklahoma, flew domestic cargo during World War II and was one of the first pilots hired by Continental Airlines, then based in Denver.
Meyer was inducted in the Colorado Aviation Historical Society’s hall of fame in 2010 and was an active member of the Aviation OX5 Pioneers and Continental Airlines Retired Pilots, as well as the Mountain Area Land Trust, the Westerners and the Conifer Historical Society.
Conifer Historical Society member Carla Mink sat with Meyer several times during the past year, transcribing his stories about ranching life and Conifer’s past for articles in the local “Mountain Connection” publication.
“He was kind of a leader. He was someone everyone looked up to and wanted to attend meetings,” she said. “If Norm showed up, you quit looking (to see who was there); that was it.”
Norm and Ethel, who died in 2007, had four children. One, Norm Meyer Jr., lives in Conifer and is carrying on his father’s passions for ranching and community involvement. He has hosted summer Music at Meyer’s Ranch concerts since 2013 as well as a chili cook-off and other fundraisers for the community.
“He and I kept the place going and kept the spirit alive, so to speak,” he said. “We made a pretty good team.”
Norm Meyer Sr. is survived by his four children, Sharon Meyer Rouse and Cara Meyer Anderson, both of Boulder, Norm Meyer Jr. of Conifer, and Erik Meyer of Fort Collins; four grandchildren, Roanne Houck, Damon Rouse, Britt Barrett and Teague Anderson; and four great-grandchildren, Iris Houck, Porter Houck of Gunnison, Oscar Rouse and Alma Rouse of Asheville, N.C.
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or
Memorial
A community picnic in memory of Norm Meyer Sr. will be planned for Conifer residents in the early summer of 2015 at Meyer Ranch. Memorial donations may be made to the Mountain Area Land Trust, P.O. Box 4063, Evergreen, CO 80437; or to the Conifer Historical Society and Museum, P.O. Box 295, Conifer, CO 80433.
