Gerald J. Meyer, 86, retired airline pilot
February 13, 2025
Gerald Joseph Meyer of Pawleys Plantation died Feb. 3 in the company of his family. He was 86.
Known as Jerry, he was born Nov. 25, 1938, in St. Louis, the oldest of three brothers. His father, Joe, an executive at Chicago & Southern and Delta Air Lines, and mother, Lorraine, the great-granddaughter of German-Swiss immigrants, raised the family in Memphis and then Atlanta.
At Druid Hills High in Atlanta, Jerry played basketball, ran track and field and was a standout on the baseball team. His enthusiasm for sports continued at Georgia Tech, where he was a more distinguished athlete than student. He played basketball and excelled at varsity baseball for the Yellow Jackets. He was also noted for capturing the greased pig for the Sigma Nu fraternity.
He was commissioned in the Air Force upon graduating in 1960. While awaiting pilot training, he started dating a student at Agnes Scott, Patricia McLaurin of Columbia.
During training at Reese Air Force Base in Texas, he coaxed a weekend pass out of the base commander so he and Patricia could be married in September 1961.
After training he was assigned to the Ninth Air Force, Tactical Air Command at Sewart Air Force Base in Tennessee. He flew the C-130 Hercules, with deployments to the Middle East and Far East. Low-level, tactical flying was his favorite.
He was a Vietnam veteran.
Mr. Meyer joined National Airlines in 1965 and moved to Miami. He enjoyed coaching his children’s sports teams and was active in St. Andrews Episcopal Church. He began to hone his skills on the grill with fresh fish from the Florida Keys and was an avid golfer.
He started his commercial career flying the L-188 Electra and finished on the Boeing 727. In between he piloted the DC-8, DC-10, A-300 and MD-80. He was a natural, instinctive pilot. But even more than the flying, he loved the destinations; exploring interesting places, meeting new people and sampling distinctive cuisines. Pan American acquired National in 1980. It declared bankruptcy in 1991.
On one flight for Pan Am, Mr. Meyer’s plane arrived at Guatemala City to find the airport cloaked in ground fog. He wanted to avoid diverting to San Salvedor, a dangerous place a the time, so he got permission from the tower to make a low pass over the runway.
As the plane crossed the far threshold, Mr. Meyer put it into a steep climb at full power. The blast of exhaust cleared the fog long enough for him to make a quick turn and land as scheduled.
For the last years of his flying career Mr. Meyer was a self-described “freight dog,” working for several charter companies. He enjoyed this iteration more than expected, in particular the special skills required for flying unique cargo like thoroughbred horses.
He moved to Pawleys Island in 1997 and retired from flying in 1998.
In addition to his wife of 63 years, he is survived by his children, Jerry, Jeffrey (Kerry) and Laurin; his grandchildren Mac, Roddy, Stock, Raiden and Sengen; his brother John (Sue); and his sisters and brothers-in-law, Jane and Frank Mood, Milly and John Hart, Kay and Howard Daniel and their families.
A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church, followed by a drop-in at the home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Carolina LIFE at the University of South Carolina, donate.sc.edu.
