Melvin F. Meis passed away on February 3, 2024, at Cedar Village, Ness City, Kansas. He was born on October 29, 1930, in Ness City, Kansas, the son of Leo and Sera (Stecklein) Meis. Melvin went to Sunshine School and then graduated from Ness City High School in 1948. He was a lifelong resident of Ness City.
Melvin married Lora Jean Rohr on September 15, 1952.
In the early Spring of 1959, Melvin started Meis Construction and began building houses. If you’ve lived in Ness City for any time, you probably know someone that lives in a home built by Melvin. He built over 85 homes, remodeled, or built over 13 commercial buildings and recorded over 40 major additions on homes (not counting the number of finishing basements, building garages, kitchen cabinet jobs, etc.) While he was semi-retired, he continued smaller remodeling jobs on his own.
Melvin was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ness City. He joined the Knights of Columbus on May 1, 1949, and he earned his 2nd and 3rd degrees. He served as Grand Knight from 2002-2004. He was just 3 months short of being a Knight for 75 years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lora Jean, on May 21, 2006, as well as his parents and seven siblings. Survivors include four daughters, Paulette (Keith) Pfannenstiel, Baldwin City, Kansas; Carol Deanne (Steve) Mulvihill, Berthoud, Colorado; Myrna Mohr, Berthoud, Colorado; and Melinda (Randy) Warford, Taylorsville, Kentucky; two brothers, Don and Arlin; three sisters, Julie Beutler, Diane Klaus and Delores Musetto; 11 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024, at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City. Private services will be on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Ness City preceded by a Rosary at 9:30 a.m., burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to Sacred Heart Parish.