Richard Meador

Richard L. “Dick” Meador succumbed to old age and related medical problems Wednesday, November 4, 2020.  He was born November 13, 1934 in Hinton to George A. and Juanita Shirey Meador. Richard and his family moved To Jumping Branch in 1939 and that is where he lived most of his life. He went to elementary school in Jumping Branch and Baltimore, MD and graduated from Hinton High School in 1951 where he held many class offices and was a member of the awesome Hinton High School band of the time.

He met and married Mildred Brown in 1952 and had two children, Debra and Stephen.

Richard was employed by the C&O Railway from 1952 until 1965 as a telegraph operator and clerk.  During that that time he continued his education at West Virginia Institute of Technology and received his Bachelors degree in Science and Math Education in 1961 from Concord College.  He received a Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling from The Ohio State University in 1963 and further education for a Masters Plus 30 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Richard worked as a teacher at Hinton High School and a Teacher-Counselor at Eastmoor Junior High in Columbus, OH. Richard taught chemistry and physics and assisted Richard Mann as a Guidance Counselor at Shady Spring High School. He was a Corpsman- Supervisor at the Anthony Job Corps Center at Neola and served as principal of the school there for several years. In 1970, he returned to Shady Spring High where he taught Chemistry, Math and Physics and was a Guidance Counselor for the remainder of his 30 years there.

Richard had his own casualty insurance agency for several years.  He and Mildred sold produce Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Hinton farmers market for 25 years as well as had pick-your own strawberries both on Brown’s Bottom on the Greenbrier River and on their Jumping Branch farm.

Richard was involved in Democrat party politics as a precinct captain; Summers County Democrat Party representative; and as Chairman for a few years of the Summers County Democrat Party.  He served 12 years as a Summers County Commissioner where he bought the County Clerks office their first computer.

He attended the Jumping Branch Tabernacle which his grandfather, Luther, helped to build.

Richard belonged to The Sierra Club, ACLU, The Nature Conservancy, Foundation for the Separation of Church and State, WVEA and the NEA all of which will take donations. Richard had also been active in the Summers County Historical Society and the Jumping Branch- Nimitz Senior Citizens Group.

Richard was preceded in death by one brother, David Meador.

Richard is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mildred Meador; one daughter, Debra Cole; one son, Stephen Meador(Laura); two grandsons, Tim Cole (Sarah) and Brian Meador (Gina); two granddaughters, Sarah Peterson and Holly Patterson (Brett); six great grandkids, Brayden Peterson, Brooke Peterson, Noah Cato Patterson, Meadow Belle Patterson, Beau August Patterson and Perry Morgan Meador and one brother, William Meador.

A private family graveside service will be held with a celebration of life service to be held at a later date.