Chillicothe — Friends and family honored patriot and preservationist Connie Meyer as she was laid to rest on Pearl Harbor Day, with a ceremony that included Revolutionary War re-enactors and a student cadet corps…as the date for “Wreaths Across America” that she led, neared.
Meyer died after a being struck by an SUV on November 18th. She was in the crosswalk of Water Street at High Street on that rainy evening with her longtime friend and neighbor Gretchen Steele, who was hospitalized with serious injuries but survived.
Meyer’s Celebration of Life filled Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian Church on December 7th, 2025. U.S. Army Ranger Lt. Col. Bob Leach (ret.), Ross County Honor Guard Chaplain, spoke there and at the cemetery.
Meyer’s fellow members of the Nathaniel Massie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution also paid her honors at the Celebration of Life, as did longtime friend Steve Steele, and David Reider on behalf of her work with the Pump House Center for the Arts.
At Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Leach gave a eulogy and prayer for Meyer. The McClain Cadet Corps from Greenfield McClain High School stood at attention, and Joseph Ogle’s Company of Ohio County Militia, Revolutionary War re-enactors, gave a quiet “reversed arms” drill salute.
See a video of that below, and see a video interview with the McClain Cadet Corps in an upcoming story.
The members of Ogle’s Company make appearances at local historical events, and are expected to be seen often in the “America 250” year of 2026.
Meyer’s ashes were placed at rest in a columbarium near the Civil War monument and bandstand in Grandview Cemetery, next to her husband, Army veteran Paul, who died in 2021.
Meyer was strong supporter of “Wreaths Across America,” a national event that is an effort to honor as many veterans graves as possible by laying wreaths on them and saying their names. She had led the local effort, sponsored by the local Daughters of the American Revolution since 2018, and served as the DAR state chair.
The Saturday following her burial – under threat of an incoming snow storm – DAR members started the effort at Greenlawn Cemetery, in an effort to name more than 1,000 veterans laid to rest in Chillicothe. The effort was completed in less than an hour…before snow swept in.
The annual national event started more than 50 years ago. Contributions in her memory were requested to go towards the local part of WAA. Her goal for the coming year was 3,000 wreaths in Ross County, and donations and matching contributions helped reach that goal for 2026.
Additional donations for this coming year will continue be matched by WAA to double the number of wreaths, at $17 a wreath, through Tuesday, December 30th. See the flyer with details below.
Find past stories about Wreaths Across America on the Scioto Post, including a 2023 interview with Meyer.
The Scioto Valley Guardian reported on December 22nd that the vehicle that struck Meyer was listed for sale at a local dealership, which had owned it since June. The article also has part of the police report on the crash.
