Karl W. Meschke, 89, departed this life Monday, July 23rd, 2018 at SGHS in Brunswick. Funeral services will be held at 11AM Saturday, July 28, 2018 in the chapel of Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home with Rev. Jim McIlrath officiating. Interment will follow in Brunswick Memorial Park Cemetery with Military Honors. Paul Meschke, Jr., Will Whorton, Davis Meschke, Billy Chapman, Tim McNair, Art Christianson, Tom Tolle, and Russell Whorton will serve as pallbearers.
Born January 18, 1929, in Bogalusa, Louisiana, to the late Karl Gustav and Pearl Hardy Meschke, he was valedictorian and most accomplished athlete of the class of 1947 at Glynn Academy. He graduated Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi from Georgia Institute of Technology. At Tech, he started his Naval service in NROTC and served as an engineering officer during the Korean War. After leaving active duty in the summer of 1954, he started his 35 year career year in the pulp and paper industry at Brunswick Pulp and Paper Company. His career continued with the Mead Corporation which took him to Chillicothe, Ohio twice, Rome, Georgia, Dayton, Ohio, and back home again to Brunswick. He worked in such diverse areas as research and development, operations and mill management, sales service, chemical plant design and woodland management. He retired professionally from Georgia Pacific Corporation.
His other interests included volunteer service, archeology, photography, woodworking and traveling, which included trips around the world twice and visiting over 100 countries. He has given many slide presentations of his travels to civic groups in the area.
Mr. Meschke was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years Nancy Ross Meschke, his mother Pearl Hardy Meschke, father Karl Gustav Meschke and step- mother Catherine Peters Meschke, and sister Nancy Sybil Meschke.
He is survived by three children, Paul W. Meschke, Sr. and wife Jamice of St. Simons, Janice Meschke Whorton and husband Russell of Johns Creek, GA, and Ross Allen Meschke and wife Beth of Martinez, GA, five grandchildren, Paul W. Meschke, Jr. and wife Autumn, William Matthew Whorton, Caroline Emily Whorton, Davis Ross Meschke, and LauraBeth Meschke, and two great granddaughters, Adelyn Cinclaire Meschke and Mikalyn Elise Meschke, and companion Betty June Henderson. The family will receive friends Saturday morning from 10 Am until the Funeral Hour at Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home. www.edomillerandsons.com
