Jeannett Meetze
Jeannett Meetze of Appomattox, Virginia
February 25, 1934 - May 1, 2023
On May 1, 2023, at the age of 89, Jeannett Meetze of Appomattox, Virginia left this world to reunite with and join her heavenly family.
She was born February 25, 1934, in Danville, Virginia. Her father died when she was 3 years old. Times were very hard, but Jeannett was blessed with a loving and very positive mother who gave her a childhood of much joy. As an adult, Jeannett would often say her mother gave her such a loving home that she was much older before she ever realized just how poor they were.
As a young woman of the late 40s and early 50s, her options were limited. She said she could be a nurse, teacher or housewife. She realized with her less than great cooking and cleaning skills, she really only had 2 options. However, the universe had a different plan. She landed a job with C & P Telephone Company. Her ability to roller skate made her a great fit as a telephone operator. As time went on, her strong work ethic and intelligence would benefit her greatly in the world of Ma Bell. Jeannett rose to high level management in jobs that had traditionally been held by men. She became the first female repair foreman and test center manager. She gained respect from her all-male crew as she would never send them to do something she herself wouldn't do. She became very proficient at operating a bucket truck. Jeannett also took multiple technical classes and college courses to better her understanding of the job.
In January of 1953, Jeannett added another title to her name as Mrs. Walter Meetze Jr. Together they literally built a house from the ground up and made it a beautiful home for friends and family to visit. They would host numerous fish frys and hot dog cookouts at the house in the country.
Jeannett had many interests and hobbies in her life, one was the love of old houses and doing renovations. In the late 1970s, she and her husband purchased a 100-year-old Victorian home in the heart of Danville. The day they looked at it, it was pouring down rain and there was an indoor waterfall in the front room. She immediately saw the potential and said this is my dream home! Once she retired, she and her husband (and very unwilling daughter) worked tirelessly on restoring the home. As an avid reader, Jeannett insisted one of the first rooms to be done was a massive library (not the kitchen).
Over the years Jeannett read and collected thousands of books and loved to loan them out and give them away when she was done with them. Even with her generosity, there ended up being a need to create a second library in the old Victorian home.
When she wasn't renovating or reading, she was crocheting something. Her creations ranged from coasters to afghans to stuffed toys.
In the mid-1980s, her husband went through a mild midlife crisis and took her with him. They enrolled in flying lessons. He went on and got his pilot's license and she soloed! It was an incredibly proud moment for her and her family.
Always a faithful servant of our Lord God, Jeannett took it to the next level in the late 90s and early 2000s as she embarked on an educational journey to read, learn and understand the Bible. She became incredibly knowledgeable about the history, geography, and theology of God's word. She would happily answer any Biblical questions, but she never imposed her religious beliefs on others as she always said, people must make their own decisions regarding their personal faith and beliefs. Her faith grew in such a way, she decided to get Baptized a second time in her life.
With such a rich life, it is hard to believe the best was yet to come for Jeannett. In 2000, she gained the “best son-in-law in the world” (her words), Charlie and a beautiful granddaughter, Codi.
In 2003 she watched her precious grandson; Charlie Walter being born. She spent many hours strolling him around downtown Danville, exploring the Science Center, and eating breakfast together at local restaurants. Being a grandmother was by far her greatest joy!
Jeannett leaves behind her loving family including her husband of 70 years, Walter Meetze Jr.; her daughter, Carol Bowman, that incredibly wonderful son-in-law, Charlie E. Bowman; her beautiful granddaughter, Codi Bowman Henry who blessed her with a grandson-in-law, Andrew Henry; a great grandson, Shane Henry; great granddaughter, Kaylee Henry; and her “best friend” as she often called him, her grandson, Charlie Walter Bowman aka LC.
Jeannett also leaves behind her very special sister-in-law, Kathy Knowles; her niece, Mary Helen Wentz (Joe); nephew, Bo Jones (Nancy); honorary niece, Kathryn Stevenson; daughter by marriage, Brenda Bowman; son by marriage, Charles Barker; her special friends, Natasha Hauser who was a caregiver and wonderful friend who became an expert on old movies and Barbara Hughes who was a very, very special friend and honorary family member who always made sure Jeannett had a caramel frappe.
Our family is truly heartbroken, but we also know we were beyond blessed to have had such a loving woman of God who loved us with all she had. We will be forever grateful of the outpouring of prayers, love, support and kindness shown to us during this time.
As per her request, there will be no funeral and per her request, her body has been donated to science.
In lieu of flowers, our family would much rather you spend your resources to make beautiful memories with your own loved ones and maybe a donation to a charity of your choice. Jeannett loved children and all animals. She would be honored if you decided to spread the love.
