Carl Meyers, 87, of McKinleyville, passed away peacefully in the sanctuary of his home on July 11, with his beloved wife, Rhonda, and daughter, Emily, holding his hands.

Carl was born in the Bronx in 1936, but raised in the East Bay area of Northern California. There he developed a love of nature, learning new things, playing tennis, and figuring out how to take apart and fix almost anything. In his 40’s he moved up to Arcata to study biology and botany and he found the place where he felt truly at home. Carl always had an enthusiastic joy sharing his knowledge of native plants and birds with anyone and everyone. Working at the Arcata Co-op he met the love of his life, Rhonda. They were married for 42 years. Together they experienced the joy of raising their daughter Emily and later welcoming their son in law Jerrod into the family. When granddaughters Sadie and Simone arrived, Carl was overwhelmed with love for these two precious young girls. Through his final days, he still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be their grandpa

Community activism and volunteer work were always important to Carl. He was a docent at the Arcata Marsh, and worked for Friends of the Dunes, California Native Plant Society, Redwood Alliance, The Environmental Center, Food for People and many more fine organizations. Later in his life he discovered a talent for drawing and shared his beautiful pictures of birds on notecards and prints. Drawing gave him another connection with nature and with his many artist friends.

As well as being a beloved husband, father and grandfather, Carl was a dear brother, uncle, friend to many and a dedicated cat dad.

A memorial service and celebration of Carl’s life will take place on Wednesday, August 2, at 11 a.m., at the Humboldt Unitarian Fellowship, at 24 Fellowship Way, Bayside, CA. Reception to follow.

Carl and his family would be honored for any donations to be made in his memory to the local organization Food for People. 

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