Obituary of Wilfred Arthur Meys

Wilfred Arthur “Bill” Meys, 87, of Superior passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at Diamond Willow in Proctor, MN with family at his side. Bill was born on March 16, 1937, the youngest son of Arthur and Eva (Laverdiere) Meys of Superior, WI. After graduating from Cathedral High School in Superior and attending the University of Wisconsin-Superior, he purchased Allouez TV, a TV repair business, at the age of 19 and throughout his career held service and repair roles at O&L Appliance, Carlton Appliance, Johnson Mertz Appliance and AR TV Service. Bill also received his FCC First Class Radiotelephone License in 1961 to become a radio station engineer, starting at WEBC. Over the next 51 years, Bill held broadcast engineer roles at stations including WQMN, WKLK, WAKX, KPIR, WEVE, KXTP, WMFG, KMFG, WHSM, KSCR, and KKIN. He was ultimately responsible for the construction of 26 FM radio stations throughout northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

On May 6, 1961, Bill married Patricia (Lathrop) Meys at Sacred Heart Church in Duluth, where he had proposed to her six months earlier. In Bill’s words, Pat always took the top honors in the best of best friends department, and the two raised their three children - Valerie, Anthony “Tony” and Jill - together in Superior. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed speaking to people around the world as a ham radio operator (callsign K9ZFC), the Green Bay Packers, photography, writing, singing and tinkering with the latest technology. He was also a member of St. Francis Catholic Church in Superior, the Douglas County Historical Society, the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 62 years Patricia; children Valerie (Dan) Pavlatos, Tony (Eve) Meys, and Jill (Darin) Boese; grandchildren Natalie, Jacob, Skylar, Benjamin, Derek and Ellie; great-grandchildren Sonya, Grayson, Priscilla, and expecting another great-granddaughter in June; nieces Joanie and Katy; nephews Jerry and David; and extended family and relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Ed (Ruthmarie) Meys.

Per Bill’s wishes, no service will be held. The family would like to extend their thanks to the staff at Diamond Willow and St. Croix Hospice, especially Jake the music therapist, who was a comfort in Bill’s final days.