Claudia Dawn (Kleppert) Meyer

Claudia Dawn (Kleppert) Meyer

Breckenridge, Michigan

Our dear wife, mother, sister, aunt, and Mammy went to her eternal home on August 29, 2022 after five years managing multiple myeloma.

Claudia was born on April 23, 1950 in Saginaw to Gerald and Marilyn (Swarthout) Pringle. She graduated from Merrill High School with the class of 1968. She was married to Larry Kleppert that year and they had 12 years together before he passed tragically young in 1980.

As a new widow of 30 years old with two small children, Claudia put herself through college, earning dual degrees, a seamstress certification, and proudly was a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Claudia loved to learn and joked that she had more college credits than anyone would ever need. One class she took and loved was clogging class, which led to a mini career teaching clogging with her friend Sharon through Community Education. Their group performed at many local nursing homes and festivals.

In 1983, she became reacquainted with a lifelong classmate, Ronald Meyer. They spent almost 40 years together as partners, finally marrying in 2012. Claudia retired from Dow Chemical that same year after 25 years of employment. They enjoyed life’s simple pleasures together: camping, hiking many miles and trails across the U.P., birds, deer, and good food and music.

Claudia loved nature and all of God’s creatures, especially cats. To her, every animal needed a mom and a pan of water set out on a hot day. She let a rooster move into her garage (in town) because “he followed me home from my walk and he looked hungry”, but not before asking all over town if she could find the rightful owner.

If it required a needle and thread, there wasn’t much she couldn’t do or wouldn’t try. Many ensembles were made for her teenage daughter in the ‘80s by having just a picture thrust in her face: “Mama, can you make me this?”(and she always could.) Many a baby has been made warmer with her handmade blankets and clothing, and she had finished a project the day before she went to the hospital the last time. She was so excited about the pending arrival of a new great-niece or nephew. But her proudest role was that of Mammy to “her little birdie.” She’d say, “I love that beautiful miracle child with every fiber of my being.”

Claudia’s pies were the standard by which all other pies were judged. “Well, it was good, but it wasn’t Claudia’s.” She was a lifelong member of Merrill Congregational Christian Church. She loved holidays and traditions. Nobody was ever turned away from her Thanksgiving table, and once you were there, you didn’t want to leave.

Claudia’s memory will be cherished by her husband, Ron, her two children, Jill (Wade) Spiekerman and Nathan Kleppert; her namesake granddaughter Wren Claudia Lee Spiekerman, her sister, Jackie LaCosse, sister-in-law, Mary Pringle, and many nieces and nephews, cousins that were so dear to her, and friends.

In addition to Larry, she was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Rodney Pringle.

Life is but a wisp of wind; Heaven lasts always.

Funeral service will take place at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, September 2, 2022 at Merrill Congregational Church, 245 S. Midland Road, Merrill, Michigan 48637. Rev. Richard Gossett will officiate with burial to follow at Richland Township Cemetery. Friends may visit the family from 1:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2022 at W.L. Case and Company Funeral Chapel, 125 E. Saginaw Street, Merrill, Michigan 48637, and also from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service on Friday at the church. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to Merrill Congregational Church.