Mary Meyer

Mary Louise Meyer, age 87, of Pipestone, Minnesota passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the Pipestone County Hospice House.

Mary was born May 15, 1938 at the family farm near Winnebago, Minnesota. She was the middle child of five born to Leslie and Lelah Weed. She grew up on her Aunt Edith’s farm where summers meant eating on the big front porch and keeping up with her brothers on the softball field. She was a good student and hard worker attending grade school in Vernon Center and high school in Garden City, graduating in 1956.

Mary always knew exactly what she wanted to be and attended college at Mankato State, working at a drugstore after class to pay her own way. Mary graduated with a degree in elementary education. She became a teacher just as she had planned.

During her senior year at Mankato State, she met Herm on a blind date. They danced that night at a little club in town, and by the end of the evening he charmed her with his wit, and she made quite an impression on him! They were married on August 8, 1959 and spent the next 67 years building a life together. Herm and Mary began their marriage in St. Peter, Minnesota where Herm was the meatcutter at Red Owl grocery store and Mary taught third grade. After the birth of their first child, Mary remained at home to raise their children, Toni, Steve, Bruce, Teri and Kari. The young family moved to Faribault, Minnesota in 1965 and remained there until moving to Pipestone in 1967.

Mary and Herm raised their five children in Pipestone, developed a small herd of show cattle on the land they loved. Mary had the true gift of hospitality and always had room for more at the table. She had a batch of cookies or pan of bars ready for anyone who stopped in to enjoy her company, which was often as Mary was one of the best listeners and full of common sense.

Mary returned to the teaching profession in 1982 as a tutor at the Pipestone Area Vo-Tech School. She was instrumental in assisting students develop their “resume” and helping those who struggled with any level of math.

As a member of St. Leo Catholic Church, Mary was a long-term member of the funeral committee. She so enjoyed working with her “team” and served with diligence in any role she was assigned.

Mary took much pleasure in sewing, cooking, baking, ceramics, 4-H activities with her own children and later her grandchildren. Mary was loved by her family and was in her element with her babies and grandbabies and great-grandbabies! She is remembered as a devoted wife, a natural mother, a gifted teacher, and a woman of deep and uncomplicated love. Her family was her greatest joy and her proudest achievement.

Mary is survived by her husband, Herm Meyer; her five children, Toni (Paul) Cunningham, Steve (Marla) Meyer, Bruce (Tracy) Meyer, Teri (Robert) Petersen and Kari (Rusty) Jensen; 13 grandchildren, Kelly (Jeremy) Iversen, Mindy (Ben) Werder, Christy (Colin) Steen, Drake (Leslie) Meyer, Hailie (Dante) Warren, Ellie (Dale) Rundahl, Courtney (Michael) Woggen, Presley (Kaelen) Ellis, Jake Meyer, Peyten (Derek) Elbers, Paige Petersen, Nick (Sydney) Jensen, Kasey (Kaden) Elder; 25 great-grandchildren; and three siblings, Jim (Mary) Weed, Harold (Alice) Weed and Kathy (Dewey) Zabel. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leslie and Lelah Weed; sister, Peggy Meliza and brother-in-law, Harley Meliza; and two nephews, Dean Meliza and Curtis Zabel.