Thomas (Tom) Ralph Meikle Jr., 81, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and dear friend of Morgantown, WV, passed away peacefully at Mapleshire Nursing and Rehab Center in Morgantown, WV on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, after a year-long courageous battle with Mesothlioma. Tom was born August 2, 1933, in Moundsville, WV to Vesta Lenora (Crow) and Thomas Ralph Meikle, Sr.
As the oldest of two sons, he grew up with his younger brother Phillip Terry (Meeks) Meikle and several cousins, including Freddie Crow. At age 5, his family moved to Weirton, WV and lived on Byron Street and Wyles Terrace, most commonly known as Cove Road from 1937 to 1953.
Tom graduated from Weir High School in 1951 (at the age of 17) and worked for a plastering company until 1953 when he joined the United States Coast Guard. While in the Coast Guard from 1953 to 1957, Tom was a member of the Coast Guard Men’s Basketball Team and Fast Pitch Softball Teams. He still remains one of the greatest Fast Pitch Pitchers of all time.
From 1957 to 1960 he attended West Liberty State College (Hilltoppers) and earned a Bachelors Degree in Education. He was a member of the Hilltoppers Men’s Basketball Team. The highlight of his Hilltopper basketball career came in 1960 when he and his teammates shocked nationally-ranked West Virginia Wesleyan to win the first WVIAC Tournament played in the Charleston Civic Center. Tom was honored as West Liberty’s Outstanding Male Athlete in 1960. On September 25, 2010, Tom was inducted into the West Liberty University Athletic Hall of Fame.
After graduating from West Liberty in 1960, Tom coached briefly at Marlington (Ohio) High School and then returned to West Virginia. In 1963, Tom earned his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from West Virginia University (WVU). In 1964, Tom returned to West Liberty as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach and Head Men’s Baseball Coach and Assistance Football Coach. His 1965 baseball team won the WVIAC championship with a perfect 14-0 league mark. One of the great athletes that Tom coached was pitcher “Joe Niekro”. Tom left the Hilltoppers in 1967 to launch a highly successful insurance business career. Tom spent the past five decades in the insurance industry, earning several awards and honors for his achievements.
Tom was an avid golfer and a long-time member of the Pines Country Club. He was an avid sports fan and loved all sports and could talk sports for hours. He traveled all over the country attending as many sporting events as possible. His favorite teams were West Virginia University, West Liberty University, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. As Tom would always say, “If the day of the week ends in a (Y) and there is a sporting event, I will be there!”
He spent nearly 20 years coaching AAU Girls’ Basketball Teams (the Meteors) in northern West Virginia, leading three of them to Top 20 finishes in the national tournament. He also coached high school girls’ summer league teams in the Morgantown area since 1997.
Tom was a long-time member of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Morgantown, WV. He was also an active member of The Gideons International.
Tom is survived by his beloved wife Ruth Nell (Hooper) Meikle of 60 years; and three daughters; Kris Childs (Jim) of Hazelton, WV; Kathy Clinton (Bruce) of Morgantown, WV; and Kamela Meikle of Morgantown, WV.
He is survived by three grandchildren; Kurtis Clinton (Christie), Morgantown, WV ; Lauren Ronick (Brian), Martinsburg, WV; and Landon Bishop (Angel), Myrtle Beach, SC.
He is survived by five great granddaughters; Sofia Clinton, Ava Clinton, Harper Clinton, Kiersten Ronick and Hazel Bishop.
He is also survived by his sister-in-law Elizabeth (Betts) Meikle of Chester, WV; his cousins Fred and Jeannie Crow of Westfield, MA; and cousin Andy Jo Farley of Moundsville, WV; sister-in-law Joan (Traubert) Hooper of Juno Beach, FL. And many nieces and nephews and thousands of friends throughout the United States.
He is preceded in death by his parents Thomas Ralph Meikle, Sr. (1972) and Vesta Lenora (Crow) Meikle (2001) and brother Terry (Meeks) Meikle (2013).