COLLEEN ROSE MEYER / 1939-2015Windward Oahu lawmaker praised for ‘voice of reason’
Gary Kubota / Gkubota@staradvertiser.com
Colleen Rose Meyer, who represented part of Windward Oahu for 14 years in the state House, six of them as minority floor leader, died July 17 at her Kaneohe home after a yearlong fight with cancer. She was 76.
“She was a true, consistent, legislative voice of reason, a dedicated public servant, who knew and could work with all people while flashing an infectious smile,†said state Sen. Sam Slom (R, Diamond Head-Kahala-Hawaii Kai). “I will miss her.â€
She was born in Honolulu and grew up in Manoa. Meyer graduated from Punahou School in 1957 and attended San Mateo College in California, where she earned an associate’s degree in 1959. She married her high school sweetheart George “Tim†Meyer on Aug. 17, 1960.
Meyer obtained her Realtor’s license and worked as a real estate broker for many years, and she built homes on Oahu and Hawaii island.
She served on the Kahaluu Neighborhood Board before running for public office.
Meyer was unsuccessful in running for the state House in 1992. But she eventually won and served as a state representative from 1995 through 2008.
She lost in the Republican primary for the state Senate in 2014, shortly before she was diagnosed with cancer.
Meyer also served on many boards, including as chairwoman of the Self Help Housing Corporation of Hawaii, a group that provides technical help to low-income residents building their own home.
Meyer is survived by husband George C. Meyer; son George C. Jr; daughter Megan Gelman; sister Patricia Shanahan Banard; grandsons Christopher Price, Geoffrey Gelman, and Max Meyer; and sister-in-law Theresa Shanahan.
A celebration of life will be held Aug. 15 at 3 p.m. at the home of Rick and Crystal Towill, 47-460 Waihee Place, Kaneohe. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased