Janine Reine Eugene Georgette Meyer-Williams née Grapin

Janine, born on November 10th, 1922 in Paris, France to Albert and Louise Grapin, passed away on February 21st 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. She spent her first 32 years in Paris which were not easy times, but she did have the opportunity to study and graduate from the famous Sorbonne University, travel a bit in Europe, ski in the French Alps, even work as an “au pair” in London, before getting a job at Renault Automobile. She enjoyed her Parisienne life, but also greatly enjoyed vacation time with her grandparents in their village in the eastern part of France.

She met her first husband Joe, an American GI, at a party in Fontainebleau where he was stationed. They married in Paris in 1954, had their first child at the end of that year and then moved to San Antonio where she gave birth to two more children. She met many other French women also married to American Military and they enjoyed many French lunches with the girls or dinner parties where of course the menu would be very French with many courses. She was an excellent cook, seamstress and artist. Her watercolor paintings were in every room in her home and many other homes. All that plus raising three children and taking care of her favorite pets (Pepper, Thomasina and Spanky), working in the garden, helping build a second home in Wimberley and traveling to many far and exotic places, including Japan, China, Indonesia, parts of Africa, South America, Russia and many places in Europe. And of course, working too. After graduating from Incarnate Word College with a BA in French and Art, she taught French at Alamo Heights High School and Robert E Lee High School. She then received her MA in French from Trinity University, started teaching there and at UTSA.

Joe Meyer passed away in 1974, but many years later she met up with a widowed family friend and fellow Army officer, John Williams. They married in 1985, often traveling abroad and spending lots of time in Wimberley, Texas fixing up the country home before his passing in 1999.

Janine was preceded in death by both of her husbands, Joseph Felix Meyer and John O. Williams and her son John William Meyer. She is survived by daughters, Catherine Louise and Patricia Julia, sons-in-law Mike Henry and Maman Amani, grandson Christian Joseph Meyer, granddaughter Mackenzie Grace Meyer-Allison and grandson-in-law Cameron Allison.

Visitation and Service will be at Porter Loring North on March 9th at 9:00 AM followed by her burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any animal rescue group, the Salvation Army, the Heifer Foundation, Doctors Without Borders or any charity of your choice.