hellwoman
01-21-2007, 07:47 PM
CEREMONY AT SEA HONORS SURFER, ARTIST JACK R. MEYER
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/21/07
BY ALEX BIESE
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
(STAFF PHOTO: PETER ACKERMAN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Surfers head into the ocean at Manasquan Inlet on Saturday are part of a paddle-out in honor of Jack R. Meyer
JACK R. MEYER
BORN: 1953
DIED: Jan. 7 in Melbourne, Fla., at age 53.
BACKGROUND: Meyer grew up in Cherry Hill. After graduating high school, he moved to California and attended Santa Barbara City College in the early 1970s. He moved to Manasquan in the early 1990s.
INTERESTS: He was an artist as well as an athlete — he was a well-known surfer, a triathlete and motocross competitor. His artwork brought him local acclaim, and he eventually did design work for companies such as Quiksilver and Billabong that can be seen on everything from clothing to surf boards to stationery.
SURVIVORS: His fiancee, Toni Miller; his children, Jeremey and Leah; her children, Cole and Lacey; his sister, Cindy, and his brother, Doug.
RELATED LINKS
• Jack R. Meyer Memorial Web site
MANASQUAN — As a friend, family member, surfer and artist, Manasquan's Jack R. Meyer touched many lives before he died at the age of 53.
Hundreds of them turned out on the beach at the Manasquan Inlet on a windy Saturday afternoon to watch a group of surfers pay him a spectacular tribute — by paddling out to form a circle in the ocean at Manasquan Inlet.
"A member of the tribe has fallen," said Regan Quail of Ocean Grove, an ordained minister, who is the spiritual adviser to the Jersey Shore chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, which organized the event. "This is to honor his water spirit and connect him to Mother Ocean one more time."
About 150 surfers took to their boards at 1 p.m. Saturday to participate in the paddle-out, which Quail said was the traditional Hawaiian good-bye to departed Polynesian kings. The surfers, in their appropriately dark-colored wet suits, paddled out on their surf boards to where the water was calm, and then joined hands to form a circle, tossing carnations into the middle.
Once in a circle, the surfers clapped three times and shouted, "Aloha, Jack!" They did this three times, each time shouting louder. After the third time, they whooped and hollered before paddling back onto the beach.
"I thought it was just absolutely incredible," said Meyer's fiancee, Toni Miller of Manasquan. "I'm sure Jack's looking down in awe of all the love."
Miller said it was "a total testimony to know that on this cold day over 300 people came out to pay tribute to him and his life and all he gave."
Before the paddle-out, some of Meyer's friends spoke for about 45 minutes to the crowd on the beach.
Jack R. Meyer was the son of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jack Meyer and grew up in Cherry Hill, said the younger Jack's cousin Mike Meyer.
He loved California, and Santa Barbara was his "soulful home," said Joe Lopez, of Oceanport and San Diego, who was Jack R. Meyer's roommate at Santa Barbara City College in the early 1970s.
Young Jack began to be known for his artwork after moving to California, Lopez said. His artwork included airbrushing and pen-and-ink, Lopez said. At the memorial, Lopez read letters of condolence from prominent members of the surfing industry, such as Robert McKnight, the owner of Quiksilver, and Bob Hurley, the founder of Billabong.
Meyer, who did airbrushing on surfboards and designed surfers' clothing and fabric, was in great demand for conceptual art, clothing art and fabric design, Lopez said. He had become a mainstay in the surfing industry, acting as a mentor for young artists.
In the 1980s, Meyer airbrushed designs onto thousands of surfboards for $15 to $25 each, Lopez said. "His life, and how he led it, was never about the money," he said.
He always seemed positive and taught everyone he met valuable lessons about life.
"It's all about being good to people in small little ways all day long," Lopez said.
At the memorial, Lopez spoke of how Meyer had died of a heart attack while in Florida.
"They said his heart was twice the size it should have been when he died. Well, it must have been 20 times bigger than it was supposed to be when he was living," he said.
Manasquan's Bruce Chrisner knew Meyer since 1982 and was with him in Florida recently at the 2007 Surf Expo.
Chrisner took part in a paddle-out for Meyer in Florida, and said similar ceremonies will be held soon in California and Hawaii.
Chrisner first met Meyer when they worked for Lopez's clothing line, Senor Lopez. For Saturday's paddle-out, both Lopez and Chrisner rode on surfboards that Meyer had painted.
Meyer lived with Chrisner for five weeks after moving from California to Manasquan in the early 1990s.
"He loved Manasquan, and he said if "I ever move back to New Jersey, this is where I want to live,' and he did," Chrisner said.
In 1999, Meyer was honored by the Manasquan Borough Council for his role in the rescue of two boaters whose boat had capsized.
"Everybody I talked to said Jack touched their lives, and it didn't matter if he touched their lives for 30 seconds or 30 years," Quail said during the memorial service.
Point Pleasant's Rick Dannerau, who helped Meyer's family with the funeral arrangements, knew Meyer for about six years. Dannerau said he had been to paddle-out ceremonies before, "but none of this magnitude."
"I was really impressed to see that number (of people)," said Bob Duerr of Brielle, a former local chairman of the Surfrider Foundation.
Duerr said he had heard of Meyer, a representative for Dragon sunglasses and a number of other companies, first "out of legend" and became friends with him about five years ago.
Duerr said the day before Meyer left for Florida they were discussing possibly holding an annual contest to raise funds for the surfing team at Manasquan High School.
"Now, I may have to follow through with that contest. Let's see, what should I call it?"
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/21/07
BY ALEX BIESE
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
(STAFF PHOTO: PETER ACKERMAN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Surfers head into the ocean at Manasquan Inlet on Saturday are part of a paddle-out in honor of Jack R. Meyer
JACK R. MEYER
BORN: 1953
DIED: Jan. 7 in Melbourne, Fla., at age 53.
BACKGROUND: Meyer grew up in Cherry Hill. After graduating high school, he moved to California and attended Santa Barbara City College in the early 1970s. He moved to Manasquan in the early 1990s.
INTERESTS: He was an artist as well as an athlete — he was a well-known surfer, a triathlete and motocross competitor. His artwork brought him local acclaim, and he eventually did design work for companies such as Quiksilver and Billabong that can be seen on everything from clothing to surf boards to stationery.
SURVIVORS: His fiancee, Toni Miller; his children, Jeremey and Leah; her children, Cole and Lacey; his sister, Cindy, and his brother, Doug.
RELATED LINKS
• Jack R. Meyer Memorial Web site
MANASQUAN — As a friend, family member, surfer and artist, Manasquan's Jack R. Meyer touched many lives before he died at the age of 53.
Hundreds of them turned out on the beach at the Manasquan Inlet on a windy Saturday afternoon to watch a group of surfers pay him a spectacular tribute — by paddling out to form a circle in the ocean at Manasquan Inlet.
"A member of the tribe has fallen," said Regan Quail of Ocean Grove, an ordained minister, who is the spiritual adviser to the Jersey Shore chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, which organized the event. "This is to honor his water spirit and connect him to Mother Ocean one more time."
About 150 surfers took to their boards at 1 p.m. Saturday to participate in the paddle-out, which Quail said was the traditional Hawaiian good-bye to departed Polynesian kings. The surfers, in their appropriately dark-colored wet suits, paddled out on their surf boards to where the water was calm, and then joined hands to form a circle, tossing carnations into the middle.
Once in a circle, the surfers clapped three times and shouted, "Aloha, Jack!" They did this three times, each time shouting louder. After the third time, they whooped and hollered before paddling back onto the beach.
"I thought it was just absolutely incredible," said Meyer's fiancee, Toni Miller of Manasquan. "I'm sure Jack's looking down in awe of all the love."
Miller said it was "a total testimony to know that on this cold day over 300 people came out to pay tribute to him and his life and all he gave."
Before the paddle-out, some of Meyer's friends spoke for about 45 minutes to the crowd on the beach.
Jack R. Meyer was the son of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jack Meyer and grew up in Cherry Hill, said the younger Jack's cousin Mike Meyer.
He loved California, and Santa Barbara was his "soulful home," said Joe Lopez, of Oceanport and San Diego, who was Jack R. Meyer's roommate at Santa Barbara City College in the early 1970s.
Young Jack began to be known for his artwork after moving to California, Lopez said. His artwork included airbrushing and pen-and-ink, Lopez said. At the memorial, Lopez read letters of condolence from prominent members of the surfing industry, such as Robert McKnight, the owner of Quiksilver, and Bob Hurley, the founder of Billabong.
Meyer, who did airbrushing on surfboards and designed surfers' clothing and fabric, was in great demand for conceptual art, clothing art and fabric design, Lopez said. He had become a mainstay in the surfing industry, acting as a mentor for young artists.
In the 1980s, Meyer airbrushed designs onto thousands of surfboards for $15 to $25 each, Lopez said. "His life, and how he led it, was never about the money," he said.
He always seemed positive and taught everyone he met valuable lessons about life.
"It's all about being good to people in small little ways all day long," Lopez said.
At the memorial, Lopez spoke of how Meyer had died of a heart attack while in Florida.
"They said his heart was twice the size it should have been when he died. Well, it must have been 20 times bigger than it was supposed to be when he was living," he said.
Manasquan's Bruce Chrisner knew Meyer since 1982 and was with him in Florida recently at the 2007 Surf Expo.
Chrisner took part in a paddle-out for Meyer in Florida, and said similar ceremonies will be held soon in California and Hawaii.
Chrisner first met Meyer when they worked for Lopez's clothing line, Senor Lopez. For Saturday's paddle-out, both Lopez and Chrisner rode on surfboards that Meyer had painted.
Meyer lived with Chrisner for five weeks after moving from California to Manasquan in the early 1990s.
"He loved Manasquan, and he said if "I ever move back to New Jersey, this is where I want to live,' and he did," Chrisner said.
In 1999, Meyer was honored by the Manasquan Borough Council for his role in the rescue of two boaters whose boat had capsized.
"Everybody I talked to said Jack touched their lives, and it didn't matter if he touched their lives for 30 seconds or 30 years," Quail said during the memorial service.
Point Pleasant's Rick Dannerau, who helped Meyer's family with the funeral arrangements, knew Meyer for about six years. Dannerau said he had been to paddle-out ceremonies before, "but none of this magnitude."
"I was really impressed to see that number (of people)," said Bob Duerr of Brielle, a former local chairman of the Surfrider Foundation.
Duerr said he had heard of Meyer, a representative for Dragon sunglasses and a number of other companies, first "out of legend" and became friends with him about five years ago.
Duerr said the day before Meyer left for Florida they were discussing possibly holding an annual contest to raise funds for the surfing team at Manasquan High School.
"Now, I may have to follow through with that contest. Let's see, what should I call it?"