Meyer, Bernhard & Margarete

Bernhard Meyer:	Born in Unna, Germany March 15, 1913 Deceased in Morristown, NJ December 13, 1971
Margarete (Gretel) Meyer nee Kirchheimer:	Born in Hamm, Germany December 03, 1911 Deceased in Morristown, NJ October 24, 2018

Children: Yoram Meyer, Dela Meyer

Grandchildren: Benjamin Alexander, Talia Alexander, Jeffrey Meyer

FAMILY HISTORY:

Bernhard (Bernd) and Margarete (Gretel) Meyer were both born in Germany: Bernd in Unna in 1913 and Gretel in Hamm in 1911. Bernd, an only child, was raised in Werl after his father died and his mother returned to her father’s home; Gretel, one of 9 children, was raised in Hamm with her siblings. The couple married in 1937. Due to the Nazi laws and oppression, they fled Germany immediately after marrying and moved to Palestine. There they lived on a kibbutz for about a year and then moved to Tel Aviv,where Bernd bought and drove a taxi. The lived in Palestine/Israel for 15 years, welcoming a son, Yoram, in 1943, and a daughter, Daniela (Dela) in 1950.

In 1952 the family felt compelled to leave Israel for economic reasons. Their desire to immigrate to the United States could not be realized, so, upon the urging of Gretel’s brother, Arturo Kirchheimer, who lived in Sosua, they came to Sosua. Initially they lived in “el Batey”, but after a few weeks they moved to Bella Vista where they received a farm from DORSA. With the knowledge and skills acquired in Germany to prepare for kibbutz life, and their work on the kibbutz, Bernd and Gretel managed to successfully run their Sosua farm. Later Bernd also drove a truck in the community and worked in El Colmado to earn more money for the family. Good friends from Israel, Tolek and Rachel Reuter, heard many good things about Sosua that persuaded them to immigrate, as well.

In 1955 the family moved to the United States to seek a better future. They arrived first in New York and later moved to Morristown, NJ, where Bernd and Gretel raised their family. Bernd worked in various merchandising roles until he finally bought a franchise in a car rental agency, which he ran successfully until his death in 1971. Gretel worked as a teacher’s aide for special needs children for many years, and forged meaningful relationships with the teachers and her pupils. She resided in Morristown and lived an active life in retirement until her death in 2018 at age 106. Her son Yoram and his family reside in Morristown, NJ. He has one son. Her daughter Dela married, had two children, and lived for many years in Charlottesville, VA.

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