Jack Myers

- Evansville, Indiana

 

People of Wisdom

Name: Jack Myers

Parish: Member of St. Mary Church, Evansville, for 52 years.

Married, number of children: Husband of Elvera Myers; they were married at St. Joseph Church, Evansville 62 years ago. They have five children, one child who is deceased, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Tell me three things about yourself that defines who you are: I’m retired. I like to work in the yard. I’ve always been involved in youth activities, participating in things with my children and trying to be a good father.

How did you and your wife meet? My mother and father used to play cards with her brother and his wife. One time, my cousin brought her to our house for a card game, and it took off from there. Meeting Elvera was the best thing that ever happened to me. She didn’t push me to convert to the Catholic faith. She just let me do that on my own. In fact, I had made up my mind to be Catholic and had taken instructions before she even knew about it.

What is an early memory of the Catholic Church? I was never made to go to church when I was younger. As a child, I knew many people in Evansville who were very anti-Catholic. But I ran around with a couple of Catholic boys. One of my Catholic friends was Buzz Borries. I used to go fishing with Buzz and Johnny Childers every Sunday morning down along the riverfront. Buzz would never miss Mass, so Johnny and I would sit down on the steps outside of St. Mary’s and wait for him. One day, it got hot, so we decided to go inside with Buzz. I remembered a black couple came in and sat down in a pew with some white people. I thought, “This is when the fireworks start.” I was sure this would cause a racial fight, but it didn’t. The Catholic Church impressed me, because almost everything else in Evansville in the 1930s was segregated. This started me thinking about becoming Catholic, too.

Who was your hero or someone you looked up to as a child? My father. He never raised his voice at us, even though I’m sure we gave him many reasons to be angry. He took us fishing and hunting. He was a Mason and a Shriner, but he was supportive of my decision to join the Catholic Church. When my wife and I were dating, I remember my father asking me if it was serious and if I had talked to a priest yet. I admired him for being so accepting.

What are your childhood memories? I had severe asthma for years. Three days a week, I couldn’t move. I went to several clinics and doctors, but I think faith had a lot to do with my recovery when I was older.

Where was your first job? I was a delivery boy for Barnett’s Drug Store at the corner of Washington and Judson. I got paid  $1 a week, and I rode my bicycle to make the deliveries.

What are your memories of World War II? We got married during the war. I remember the rationing and carpooling. I worked at Chrysler during this time. About five of us were in a carpool, and we’d give gas stamps to the guy who drove.

What is one of your favorite Christmas memories, either from your childhood or from when your children or grandchildren were young? When my daughter, Nancy, was very young, she was looking out the window waiting for Santa to come. She became very excited and swore she saw Santa flying in the sky. Nancy is a grown lady now, and she still says she saw him in the sky.

What are you or have you been involved with at St. Mary’s? I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I’ve been on just about every committee they have down there. I used to do a lot of work around the parish with Joe Greenwell. He did most of the electrical work, and I would help with painting, carpentry and other odd jobs. I kept the boilers going for years until they got to the point where they wouldn’t operate anymore. I’ve been on the parish council and have coached basketball. I was in charge of renting out the gym for 26 years, and I helped start a Cub Scout pack at St. Mary’s years ago. I still keep active by being an usher and doing “odds and ends” jobs around the parish.

What is your favorite religious item? The rosary. My wife and I say the rosary every night.

Describe a time in your life when your faith was tested: Our little boy, Timmy, died on Dec. 7, 1957, from a very rare pneumonia. After he died, I lost my faith and stopped going to church. I wondered why God would take a little two-year-old boy. I was very unhappy, until I finally started putting everything together and realized I couldn’t live without my faith. I got to thinking, you are put on this earth, and you’re going to go, and it could happen at any time, and it was just one of those things. I remember thinking that we had an angel in heaven looking over us, and I don’t think he appreciated what I was doing. I thought if I ever want to see him again, I’m going to have to straighten up. My faith and prayers have helped pull me through many illnesses.

What’s the best advice you can give someone else? Don’t lose your faith. You can’t live without it. As far as sickness goes, if you have faith, you can survive everything. Take whatever happens as God’s will . . . what will be, will be.

People of Wisdom is sponsored by the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana, Inc. For more information, please call (800) 637-1731 or (812) 424-5536, or visit the website @ www.catholicindiana.org.