NORWICH – Archie R Meek, 91, of Norwich, passed away Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at the Norwich Rehabilitation Center. The son of Ralph and Maude Meek, Archie was born in March of 1924 in Oxford at home. Archie grew up in the Oxford and Norwich area and graduated from Oxford Academy in 1940. Following school, he worked the family farm with his father.
On March 4, 1945 he married Gertrude Phetteplace and soon after started his own farm, Lyon Brook Farm in Norwich. The urge to work with superior cattle was strong, so in the early 50’s with help from the NYS Holstein Association he went to Waterloo, NY and had the opportunity to select his own herd of registered Holsteins. In this herd of cows was a prolific producer called Hamaret Queen Prospector. This world record holding cow was the first to produce 30,000 pounds of milk per year for three consecutive years in a row. Thousands of people visited the farm each year to view the cow. Not only did this benefit Archie, it benefited the dairy business in Chenango County. Over the years Archie held true to his line of breeding and his cows were in great demand through out the world. After Archie’s retirement from active dairy farming, he traveled for Superior Sires, a group of NYS farmers who developed Holstein breeding bulls.
Archie was also known for growing the ‘best sweet corn’ in Chenango County. There were times when he would ask a customer when they were going to cook the corn. If it was midweek and they told him on the weekend, he would tell them to come back and buy the corn on the weekend. He was a firm believer in “fresh is best.”
Archie loved to hunt and fish. During deer season all farm chores were done as fast as possible. In later years, he enjoyed spending time at the family hunting lodge “Gobbler’s Roost“. Archie enjoyed sharing his fish fries and many hunting stories, especially the one about his 1945 deer mount that cost $18.00 because the candle sticks were three dollars extra.
Archie was a Hit with his Grand and Great Grand Children and he instilled his love of Family and the outdoors in them.
Archie is survived by his children and their spouses: Bradley of Port Jefferson, NY, Ronald and Kathy of Norwich, James and Linda of Oxford, Gary and Deb of Canandaigua, Kevin and Cheri Ring of Oxford, and Elaine and Bill Lavacca of Sagamore Beach, MA. Also surviving are 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Archie was predeceased by his wife Gertrude, son Charles ‘Chipper’ and siblings Arlene, Baker and Eleanor.
Funeral services for Archie will be on Monday, June 22 at 11:00 A.M. at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home. Richard Howard will officiate. Interment will be in the Riverview Cemetery, Oxford, NY. Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Sunday, June 21 from 3 - 6 pm. Please consider contributions in Archie’s memory to the 4H Dairy Scholarship Fund, 99 N. Broad St. Norwich or to the charity of your choice.