Walter Steven “Steve” Messmer Jr., 74 of Martinsville, passed from this life surrounded by loved ones at 9:22 am on Sunday, September 12, 2021. He had courageously battled Alzheimers for the past ten years. Steve was the only child born to the late Walter Steven and Theda Faye (Fletcher) Messmer. He was born on Thursday, July 3, 1947, in Martinsville, Indiana.
A lifelong resident of Morgan County, Steve graduated from Martinsville High School with the class of 1965. Shortly following graduation, he gained employment at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis where he was a dedicated employee for the following forty-two years. While working at Rolls Royce, he went back to school and received a bachelor’s degree from the Indiana University School of Business in 1971. Steve’s perseverance and work ethic were unwavering working as a supervisor for many years and retiring in 2008.
A family man first and foremost, Steve was also a people person. He was a member of the Sons of the American Legion Post #230 and the Elks Lodge #1349, both in Martinsville. In his younger days, Steve was an auto-racing fanatic! He raced for many years, ‘retiring to racing’ when his kids became active in their activities. He proudly coached both his son’s baseball and daughter’s softball teams, alternating years, throughout most of their childhood…as explained by his wife, “his children were the sun, the moon and the stars!”
He was an avid outdoorsman and spent countless days in the woods hunting deer and mushrooms. He also loved to play golf and was a diehard IU Basketball fan!
Steve leaves behind a host of family and friends including his loving and devoted wife, Carol Sue (Stanley) Messmer of Martinsville; whom he married on June 6, 1992; son, Steven “Hot Rod” Messmer of Martinsville, IN; daughter, Stacia (husband, E.J.) Shockley of Fishers, IN; step-son, David (wife, Lisa) Frye of Indianapolis; step-daughter, Tracy (husband, Jeff) Thompson of Speedway, IN; four grandchildren, Zach Rudolf, Kaiser, Karsyn and Kennedy Shockley and three step-grandchildren, Kyle Frye, Kelcey and Bryce Thompson.
Family and friends are invited to visit on Thursday, September 16th from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm at Neal & Summers Funeral Home in Martinsville. Mr. Phil Deckard will conduct a service celebrating Steve’s life immediately following visitation at 6:00 pm at the funeral home. The family is requiring that all visitors wear a facial covering during the visitation and funeral service. To honor Steve’s wishes, he will be cremated following the funeral service.
Memorial contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to the American Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the Messmer family online at nealandsummers.com