Gary E. Meisner, 85, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, at home, from complications of pancreatic cancer. He has been reunited in Heaven with friends and loved ones but will remain steadfast in the hearts and memories of all those he knew.
Gary was a man of integrity and kindness. He had a keen ability to make great friendships with most spanning multiple decades. He described himself as an adventurous child and that love for adventure continued throughout his lifetime. He loved to travel and explore different places, especially the outdoors. Hunting and fishing were a mainstay in these adventures. Gary was not only a great friend, but he was also an amazing husband, father and papa. He made sure his family was his top priority, giving them unconditional love and teaching them many valuable life lessons.
Gary was born March 9, 1939, in Kamiah, to Ernest and Lenor Meisner. He grew up about 15 miles outside Kamiah on the family ranch at Glenwood. At an early age he started to work the ranch with his family. When not working on the ranch he enjoyed riding horses to the nearby creek to go fishing. After high school he fulfilled his dream of becoming a college graduate earning a degree in Forestry. After graduating he worked at Potlatch paper mill in Lewiston for a few months prior to entering the U.S. Army and being stationed in Alaska. It was during this time period that he married the love of his life, Grace, and celebrated 54 years of marriage prior to her passing in 2019. They spent their first two years in Alaska before returning to the Kamiah area.
Once out of the service he briefly returned to work at Potlatch before being hired to lead a crew clearing trees for Dworshak Dam on the North Fork of the Clearwater River. After working on Dworshak Dam, he continued to work clearing trees in Mossyrock, Wash. Once that work was complete, he decided to become a real estate appraiser and earned a Member of the Appraisal Institute (MAI) designation. He ultimately started Western Appraisals in Lewiston, with a friend, which would become the foundation for years of successful business ownership. Upon retirement he and Grace moved to the Boise area to be closer to their children and grandchildren. A few years after his wife passed, mutual friends introduced him to Carolyn and they enjoyed adventures over the past few years of travel and spending time with their friends.
Gary is survived by his sister Loma Ulmer of Kamiah; his son David Meisner of Meridian, Idaho, and his wife Debbie; his daughter Angela Grant of Eagle, Idaho, and her husband Brandon; and three grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife Grace Meisner; two siblings George Meisner and Rosalie Simmons; his daughter Melanie Ann Meisner; and one grandchild Hannah Landis.
Service arrangements are anticipated at the end of April/early May timeframe with exact date/time to be determined. Memorials are suggested to Lewis-Clark State College (lcsc.edu) Work Scholars program to help with scholarships.
