Louise B. Meyer of Hondo, Texas, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, December 24, 2006, at the age of 95. She was born in Devine, Texas, October 20, 1911, the daughter of Henry & Louisa (Folk) Bendele. Louise traveled in a horse drawn wagon or rode horseback to attend the Shook School. She began high school in Biry where she became a star basketball player and enjoyed participating in other county meet events. Sharing volleyball and basketball pointers with her daughters and granddaughters who also took part in sports preceded her becoming an avid Spurs fan and Dallas Cowboys enthusiast. One of her saddest life experiences was her mother's death when Louise was only 15 years old. Her family then became very close to Louisa's sister Ida who substituted as a mother and later acted as grandmother to the Bendele family's next generation. Louise talked about how she accepted many of the household responsibilities after her mother's death because her older sister Adele was away at business school. She would readily show the scar from the rattlesnake bite she received gathering eggs. Louise eventually transferred to Devine High School where she graduated as salutatorian in 1929. Her favorite subject was homemaking, and she always regretted the family was not financially able to have her attend college to become a homemaking teacher. At home she kept up with the household chores for a typical farming and ranching operation. She and family members and friends always enjoyed going to Castroville to attend dances or to swim in the Medina River. While dancing one night, Louise met Joseph William Meyer of Dunlay, Texas. Joe eventually convinced her father he would be a suitable husband, and the couple were married November 10, 1931. They resided in Hondo, and she was soon playing softball and basketball with the local teams. Her home remained in "God's Country" since that time. During the next fifteen years, Louise and Joe had five children: Roy, Mary Jo, Barbara Jean, Carole, and Franci. Many happy times filled the Meyer house until an intensely sorrowful experience occurred when Barbara Jean died at age four before Carole and Franci were born. The little sister who went to Heaven has always been a part of the family's history. For Christmas several years ago Louise created photo albums of childhood events for the other four children and included precious pictures of Barbara Jean. Louise's brothers and sisters settled in Devine where Elmer later died as a young man. All remaining brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces gathered often each year to celebrate birthday's and holidays. "Dad" or "Grandpa" Henry was their focus until he passed away in 1953. Although Louise's mother died early and wasn't around to provide motherly guidance, Louise was a devoted mom and always involved with her children's activities. She was a leader for the girls' Bluebird and Camp Fire Troops and held offices in the PTA. Working with the Band Boosters, she often rode the band bus to out-of-town football games as the parent chaperone. She served as room mother, helped with school parties, and attended hundreds of sporting events and competitions. Louise was a loving parental role model and provided wise counsel to all of her children as she prepared them to become useful citizens. Louise was a talented seamstress, designing and creating many clothes for her children -- fancy western shirts for Roy, elegant and fashionable formals and pageant dresses for her daughters, and countless other original garments. The Barbie and Cabbage Patch doll clothes she loved to sew for her granddaughters are now family treasures. Her sewing skills produced pillows and aprons for St. John's Church festivals and Baptismal bibs for Martha club projects. She taught her three daughters to sew using her methods and standards as their goal. When she worked at Hondo Dry Goods Store and at Leinweber's store, customers benefited from her sewing expertise. The Meyer children married during the next several years and provided Louise and Joe with eight grandchildren before Joe's death in June, 1978, after 47 years of marriage. Then the resilient Louise began a new chapter in her life. Soon she retired and became even more involved with her church, in the Martha Club, and in the Altar Society, which honored her with a lifetime membership. She also enjoyed her work in the Garden Club and its Thrift Shop, and the roses in her garden flourished under her devoted care. Two additional grandchildren brought the total to ten, all sharing her endless love as Louise enjoyed the numerous family gatherings and activities. No event was complete without her famous lemon bars. For many years she, her children, her grandchildren, and now 12 great-grandchildren spent several days each summer vacationing on the Frio River near Concan, Texas. These holidays became favorite events for her and all her family. On her 90th birthday in 2001, Louise's immediate family gathered in Hondo to honor her for the wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and role model she had been. Everyone had so much fun sharing the memories of all our years with her. With her lifelong interest in photography, she accumulated hundreds of pictures and compiled them in albums to enjoy viewing again and again. They commemorate a life filled with love and devotion, a legacy for those of us blessed with her prayers, her strength, her laughter, her everlasting sweetness. She is preceded in death by her husband Joe W. Meyer; daughter, Barbara Jean Meyer; brothers, Arnold Bendele, Elmer Bendele, Henry Bendele; sisters, Adele Bendel, Laura Schott.. Louise is survived by her son Roy E. Meyer and wife Mary Lou of Alice; daughters, Mary Jo Schweers and husband Glenn R. of Hondo, Carole Harton and husband Jim L. of Concan, Frances "Franci" Seiler and husband Steve of Willis; grandchildren, Joe Meyer II and wife Connie, Melinda Meyer Planchard and husband Ken, Lisa Schweers, Darryl Meyer, Glenn Schweers, Jr., and wife Julie, Brenda Meyer Blaylock and husband David, Adrienne Harton Meyers and husband John, Meredith Harton, Claire Devine, Fahren Devine; step-grandchildren, Sarah Seiler Conway. Susan Seiler Ashour, Sharon Seiler; great-grandchildren, Leslie Meyer, Tyler Schweers, Arin Blaylock, Kyle Meyer, Adrianne Meyer, Hope Schweers, Brooklyn Blaylock, Peyton Planchard, Brandon Planchard, Hannah Meyer, Natalie Meyers, Katie Meyers; ste-great grandchildren, Steven Seiler, Caitlin Conway. The Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m until 8:00 p.m. at the the Guinn-Horger Funeral Home on Tuesday December 26. The Rosary will be recited at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, December 27, followed by the Funeral Mass at the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Burial will follow at the Hondo Cemetery, St. John's Section.