Stuart F. Meek

Judge Stuart F. Meek, Jr., 77, of St. Joseph, MI and Indio, California passed away Tuesday, May 13, 2014 in Orange, California, following a short illness. Judge Meek was born to the late Dr. Stuart F. and Henrietta Meek, October 27, 1936, in Detroit Michigan. He graduated from Wayne State University with a law degree in 1962 and relocated to St. Joseph, Michigan in 1963. He practiced law in St. Joseph for 26 years before being appointed as Probate Judge by Gov. James Blanchard in 1988. He was later elected for two more terms and served honorably until his retirement as Chief Probate Judge in January 2000. He also served as judge pro tem for the Berrien County Trial Court. Judge Meek was a respected member of the community, known for his high integrity by all who knew him. He was a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Benton Harbor, MI and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Palm Desert, CA. He was a member and Past President of the St. Joseph Lions Club, and a long-time member and Past President of Berrien Hills Country Club. He was an avid golfer and spent much of his free time on the golf course. During his retirement he enjoyed working as a ranger at PGA West golf course in LaQuinta, California, in his spare time. When he wasn’t golfing he could often be found in the kitchen, cooking gourmet meals, sipping a glass of wine, eating peanuts and watching Notre Dame football or golf. Judge Meek is survived by his wife of 52 years, Joan Meek; children: Patricia Kloss and her children Katie (Jordan) Stambaugh and Keller Yoder of St. Joseph; Susan (Jim) Bothwell and their children Marissa and Zack Bothwell, of Roseville, CA; Maribeth (Chris) Van Zandt and their children Alex and Jeff Van Zandt of Palm Bay, FL; Katherine Meek-Wolf and her children Matthew, Joey, Bradley, and Roccy Wolf, all of St. Joseph; David Meek and his children Madisen and Allisen Meek of Rocklin, CA. He is also survived by a sister, Susan (Ross) Becker of Shelby Twp, MI. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a sister, Jane Zimmer. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 14th from 1 pm to 3 pm at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI.  Those wishing to share a memory of Stuart online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.