Rev. Dr. David Paul Meyer, of Seward, was born May 24, 1937, to Bernhardt and Mattie (Thomson) Meyer in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
He was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Harris, Iowa. After graduating from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, with an M. Div and S. T. M., he was ordained as a minister in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in 1963. On Thanksgiving day, Nov. 23, 1961, he was united in marriage to Judith Poellot at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Illinois. David received his Doctorate from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. His first call was serving as town-gown pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mt. Vernon, Iowa from 1963-1966.
He then served as a Professor at Concordia University-Seward from 1966-2004. David also taught Theology for the Kansas District Lay Leader Program and Nebraska Lay Institutes. He joined the faculty for Trinity Theological Seminary and served from 1985-2016. He also taught courses on The New Testament, Christian Ethics, Church History and Philosophy. David served as thesis mentor for Rev. Dr. Dirk Reek, Rev. Dr. Charles Blanco and Dr. Timothy Rippstein and dozens of other students around the country and the world.
He received an Academic Achievement Award from Trinity Theological Seminary for his dissertation in 1983. He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church-Seward, and also spent countless Sundays providing ministry to rural congregations in the area. He was also involved in professional and academic organizations, such as the American Philosophical Society as well as the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. In his free time, he enjoyed listening to jazz music, classic cars, fishing, and tending to anything and everything around the household. David passed away Nov. 23, 2022, in Seward, at the age of 85 years, 5 months and 30 days.
He is survived by his wife, Judith Meyer, of Seward; sons, David John Meyer of Des Moines, Iowa, Andrew (Christa) Meyer of Ringgold, Georgia, Thaddeus (Bethany) Meyer of Seward and Jeremy P. Meyer of Tempe, Arizona; grandchildren, Elaine (Jordan) Brown, Stephen Meyer, Jonathan Meyer, Emily Meyer, Ben Meyer and Nathan Meyer; great-granddaughter, Cece Brown; brothers-in-law, Dan (Ruth) Poellot, Mike (Rhonda) Poellot; and his sister-in-law, Peggy Poellot. David was preceded in death by his parents, Bernhardt and Mattie Meyer, and brother, Donald Meyer.
Visitation is Wednesday, Nov. 30, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Volzke Funeral Home in Seward with a gathering of family and friends from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The funeral service will be Thursday, Dec. 1, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward with committal at the Greenwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to Concordia University Church Worker's Fund or St. John Lutheran Church. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.volzkefuneralhome.com.
