Harold
Harold Lee Meeks
d. August 19, 2022
Hal (Harold L. Meeks) loved travelling, the tropics, performing, tennis, swimming and his family. His book 'How Much Fun Was It Really, my 40 years in the Caribbean' reflects his lifelong interests.
He was born in San Bernardino July 20, 1937 and was raised in Coos Bay, Oregon. While in the Air Force he won the 'Taps in Blue' emcee contest and toured the world. At the University of Oregon he met and married fellow journalist, Judy, in 1961. His resonant voice led him to a career in radio and television broadcasting. They flew to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands where Hal managed the radio station and anchored the evening news. While there he starred in The Fantasticks.
The Meeks moved to St. Croix where Hal owned an advertising agency. He was an active member of the Tennis Club of St. Croix and the St. Croix Yacht Club. Their pride and joy was their home overlooking both the Caribbean and the Atlantic. They built a vacation home on a piece of land with no road, bringing in construction materials by donkey up Booby Hill on the Dutch island of Saba. The Meeks lived there for a year, opening a restaurant, the 'Brigadoon'.
Their son Forrest Meeks was born in 1975 during a brief sojourn in Coos Bay.
Hal graduated from Thunderbird, the American School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona. The next day he flew to San Juan Puerto Rico as the import/export director for Central America and the Caribbean for Standard Brands (soon to become Nabisco). During the summer months Judy and Forrest stayed on Saba while Hal flew in and out.
When Hal retired from Nabisco the Meeks moved to Saba and opened Caribbean Grocery Brokers. It represented such brands as Campbells, Del Monte, and Nabisco.
He also opened the Caribake bakery. Once again Hal relished his time at his pool with a view of the mountain and the sea.
In 1980 Hal and Judy moved to Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, South Carolina. He sold real estate, directed and acted in plays, and anchored the Sun City TV News. He helped launch the first 'Follies' production. His book 'Seniors Going Nuts, life in an overactive adult community' is a hit. Hal played tennis into his eighties. Every afternoon Hal enjoyed being served a gin and tonic by his wife while lounging on a bench in his pool. He died Thursday, August 18th, a month after his 85th birthday.
He is survived by his wife, Judy; his son, Forrest and his wife Mary Catherine; his stepchildren, Steven, Mathew, Josh, Katie and Zach Hemming. He is also survived by his brothers, Mike, Ray, Steve, and Jim Meeks, and his sister Mary Jansen and all their families.
His mother, Evelyn Ralston; father, Woodward Meeks, and brother, John, predeceased him. It was his wish to be buried on his beloved island, Saba.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Copeland Funeral Service ' One Copeland Drive, Beaufort.
He was born in San Bernardino July 20, 1937 and was raised in Coos Bay, Oregon. While in the Air Force he won the 'Taps in Blue' emcee contest and toured the world. At the University of Oregon he met and married fellow journalist, Judy, in 1961. His resonant voice led him to a career in radio and television broadcasting. They flew to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands where Hal managed the radio station and anchored the evening news. While there he starred in The Fantasticks.
The Meeks moved to St. Croix where Hal owned an advertising agency. He was an active member of the Tennis Club of St. Croix and the St. Croix Yacht Club. Their pride and joy was their home overlooking both the Caribbean and the Atlantic. They built a vacation home on a piece of land with no road, bringing in construction materials by donkey up Booby Hill on the Dutch island of Saba. The Meeks lived there for a year, opening a restaurant, the 'Brigadoon'.
Their son Forrest Meeks was born in 1975 during a brief sojourn in Coos Bay.
Hal graduated from Thunderbird, the American School of International Management in Glendale, Arizona. The next day he flew to San Juan Puerto Rico as the import/export director for Central America and the Caribbean for Standard Brands (soon to become Nabisco). During the summer months Judy and Forrest stayed on Saba while Hal flew in and out.
When Hal retired from Nabisco the Meeks moved to Saba and opened Caribbean Grocery Brokers. It represented such brands as Campbells, Del Monte, and Nabisco.
He also opened the Caribake bakery. Once again Hal relished his time at his pool with a view of the mountain and the sea.
In 1980 Hal and Judy moved to Sun City Hilton Head in Bluffton, South Carolina. He sold real estate, directed and acted in plays, and anchored the Sun City TV News. He helped launch the first 'Follies' production. His book 'Seniors Going Nuts, life in an overactive adult community' is a hit. Hal played tennis into his eighties. Every afternoon Hal enjoyed being served a gin and tonic by his wife while lounging on a bench in his pool. He died Thursday, August 18th, a month after his 85th birthday.
He is survived by his wife, Judy; his son, Forrest and his wife Mary Catherine; his stepchildren, Steven, Mathew, Josh, Katie and Zach Hemming. He is also survived by his brothers, Mike, Ray, Steve, and Jim Meeks, and his sister Mary Jansen and all their families.
His mother, Evelyn Ralston; father, Woodward Meeks, and brother, John, predeceased him. It was his wish to be buried on his beloved island, Saba.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by Copeland Funeral Service ' One Copeland Drive, Beaufort.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Harold Lee Meeks, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 1
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors