Obituary
G. Christopher Meyer, 75, of Sarasota, FL, passed away at his Sarasota home on September 11, 2023 after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Chris was born on March 27, 1948 in Fremont, Nebraska to parents Gerald and Mildred Meyer. The oldest of three children, he was soon joined by brother Dan and sister Ann. His adolescence in small-town Nebraska instilled values of family, hard work and kindness, which became the cornerstones of Chris’s life.
Chris started college at Grinnell College in Iowa in fall of 1966. Chris blossomed at Grinnell, soaking up the culture and academics. He credited Grinnell with expanding his view of the world and his place in it. Chris studied history, with a focus on Russian history. He met his first wife, Linda Haines, at a basketball game during his freshman year. The two later transferred to the University of Kansas and were married on December 27, 1969, in the middle of their senior year. Chris graduated from the University of Kansas in 1970.
After college, Chris and Linda moved across the country to Philadelphia for Chris to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania. Chris graduated from Penn in 1973 and moved with Linda to Cleveland, Ohio, where Chris would begin a long and successful legal career at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, and the two would build a loving family.
Chris and Linda settled in Cleveland Heights, OH, and went on to have four children – Kate, Stacy, Jon and Rob. They enjoyed a life filled with music recitals, sport practices, theatrical performances, school events and trips to Cedar Point. At the same time, Chris’s legal career flourished. He focused his practice on bankruptcy and insolvency issues, specializing in corporate restructurings and bankruptcy reorganizations. After several years as an associate at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Chris became a partner of the law firm in 1982. As his career matured, he particularly enjoyed mentoring new associates and performing as part of the Court of Nisi Prius, a social group of lawyers who performed original songs and skits for family, friends and Cleveland’s legal community. One of his favorite honors was being selected to serve as the “clerk” and then the “judge” presiding over the Court for consecutive one-year terms.
Throughout his career, Chris was a member of a number of professional associations and organizations. He was a member, treasurer and trustee of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, and member and chair of its Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section. He was a Fellow and Chair of the American College of Bankruptcy, a director of the College’s Foundation and chair of the College’s Board of Regents. In addition, Chris was a president and trustee of the Turnaround Management Association’s Northeast Ohio Chapter. In 2011, Chris received the Chapter’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). For more than 10 years, Chris served as an adjunct professor of law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. In addition to his legal pursuits, Chris took great pride in his work as a trustee of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and a trustee and board president of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. He also served as a member and president of the Grinnell Alumni Council.
In 2006, Chris began a new chapter in his life. He rekindled a connection with his former high school sweetheart, Janet (Jan) Jorgensen. The two were married in Fremont, Nebraska on June 27, 2009. After several years together in Cleveland, the two relocated to Sarasota, Florida in 2013. In Sarasota, Chris and Jan found a wonderful new community in their HOA where both became actively involved. Always, willing to serve, Chris was on the HOA Board until 2013; first as Treasurer and then as President guiding the HOA through important financial and directional change. He also served on the Palmer Ranch Master Association as Treasurer and President. During this time, he found new neighbors, rekindled with old friends, enjoyed the sunny weather with bike rides and outdoor dining, and doted on their dog, Nixie. Chris retired from Squire, Sanders & Dempsey (now Squire Patton Boggs) in 2018 after an esteemed 45-year career at the firm. Never one to be idle, he promptly accepted an “of counsel” position at Strichter, Reidel, Blain & Postler in Tampa, Fl where he practiced part-time until his death.
Most important to Chris was his family. In his later years, he regularly traveled around the country, visiting his kids, family and friends, while also squeezing in a professional engagement or two. He was a loving grandfather to eight, and great grandfather to one. He was kind and generous with his time and attention. He was also a man of great integrity who respected the rule of law. He loved dining out, dancing, good wine, and spending time with friends and family. He will be dearly missed.
Chris is survived by a large and loving family including his wife Jan; daughter Kate, her husband Craig and grandchildren Lila, Brynn and Haines; daughter Stacy, her husband Jay and grandson, Everett; son Jon, his wife Jennifer, granddaughter Jennah, her partner Jacob and great grandson, Ashton; son Rob, his wife Samee and granddaughter Elise; stepdaughter Lea, her husband Daryl and grandsons Connor and Aric; brother Dan, his wife Debra and their children Emily and Scott; sister Ann, her husband Lyle and their children Karl and Christopher.
Chris did not want a formal memorial service, but his family suggests that anyone wishing to make a donation in his honor consider:
Tidewell Foundation (Tidewell Hospice)
3550 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
2937 W. 25th St, 2nd Floor, Cleveland, OH 44113
Gerald W and Mildred R Meyer Endowed Scholarship Fund
Office of Development & Alumni Relations, Grinnell College
733 Broad Street, Grinnell, IA 50112
Eileen Driggs Martin
R. I. P.
Bart