George and Joellen Meahl
George was born November 6, 1931 in Vallonia, Indiana to Roy and Luese (Peters) Meahl. He grew up on a farm and enjoyed all aspects of farming. This love of agriculture would serve George well for the rest of his life.
When George was young, he worked hard and was a straight A student in school. His work ethic carried on for the rest of his life. When he was about six or seven, he needed to go to the dentist, but like most young boys that age, he had better things to do. Finally, his Dad promised him a Red Ryder BB Gun if he would go to the dentist. That was an offer George could not refuse, so he went to the dentist and then got his first gun. He became an accomplished squirrel hunter as a boy and this was the beginning of a lifelong love of hunting and fishing. George became so proficient that he was the one to kills the hogs on butchering day.
George was honored to serve in the Army during the Korean War. He was a lineman, so when others were in a fox hole, he was high up a pole running communication lines. A true patriot, he was a member of the VFW, American Legion, 780th Field Artillery Association and a founding sponsor of National Museum of the US Army in Washington DC.
George’s gentle nature and natural way with people became apparent while serving in the Army. He was quickly promoted to Sergeant and really took care of his men. As it happens in combat situations, many people struggle with the constant stress and danger. On one occasion, a soldier was struggling mentally and was threatening to shoot a fellow soldier. George stepped in and talked the soldier down and diffused the situation, preventing a great tragedy.
After returning from Korea, George set his sights on Joellen and farming. As a farmer, George excelled in many areas but perhaps his greatest agricultural love was his fruit trees. He grew several varieties of apples, sweet cherries, peaches and persimmons. He was also known for his watermelons and cantaloupes. Joellen helped him pick the fruit, especially the apples. She would climb the ladder and using a special tool, pick the highest apples. Giving away the “fruits” of his labor gave George great happiness.
Joellen was born on 4.28.40 to Josie May (Graves) and Ellis Hubert Churchman. Her parents were married in a double ring ceremony with Veryle and Harley Lewis at Cottage Hill Church of Christ. Joellen’s father carried a calendar of a blonde haired blue eyed girl and said he always wanted a daughter like that. After having three sons, he finally got his wish. Unfortunately, Joellen did not have the opportunity to know her father very well, as he passed away when she was three and a half years old.
In 1945, Joellen was a Valentine “pin-up girl.” She received a letter from a soldier who told her they had her picture pinned up in their mobile dental bus. At the time, the soldier was in Luxembourg, but told Little Joellen that her cute picture would travel all over Europe and make many soldiers smile.
Growing up in Pekin, Joellen was a constant companion to her mother. Whether washing dishes, weeding the garden or shopping on Saturdays in Louisville, the two were inseparable. Josie was an accomplished artist and pianist, having attended The Herron School of Art. Over the course of her lifetime, she painted dozens of pictures. Many have been donated to the Washington County Historical Society.
Every morning Joellen’s mother would sit her on a stool and make long curls in Joellen’s hair. One year, Joellen’s mother made her a new dress for the Pekin 4th of July Celebration. When Joellen was a young girl it was the event of the year. People dressed up in their finest clothes to celebrate. That was a huge annual event. Joellen hid behind the door with a pair of scissors and snipped off a front curl. She couldn’t tell her mother why, but she did it. They still went to the event and had a great time.
Joellen worked hard on the farm. When she milked the cows she would squirt milk to the cats. She and her mother would walk to the truck path and pull weeds. Then Joellen would go back to the house, stand on a stool and wash dishes. She really wanted a pony and finally got one, but it started biting the cows so they had to sell it.
Joellen enjoyed working both inside the house and outside. Every spring they would start the spring cleaning by carrying out the feather beds. This was the start of the spring cleaning. During summers, Joellen canned for her mother and sometimes would be up until 2:00 am canning.
Joellen and her mother were very close. So much so, that her mother never had to spank her. Many times her mother warned her not to get too close to the road, but one day Joellen ended up playing too close to the road. Her mother got a small switch from a tree and tickled Joellen’s legs. This was enough to make sure that Joellen followed the rules.
Joellen long dreamed of being a toe dancer and studied ballet, tap and toe dancing for many years. Her mother would take her to New Albany for dance lessons after school with Billy Weber. Her mom would fix her dinner and put it all in a pie plate and then Joellen would eat it on the way to her lessons. This is just one of many fond memories Joellen has of her childhood.
When Joellen was ten years old, she appeared in a “Kiddie movie” at the New Albany Grand Theater. She was the only one from the community to pass the screen test.
Joellen had many recitals and danced in the high school plays. Joellen also studied piano, harp and violin. She took piano lessons after school and then walked home. When contemplating her future career, Joellen thought about studying dance professionally but her mother counselled her differently, worried that her bones would not hold up. After having raised four children as a single Mom, Josie also knew the importance of a stable career and income. Josie had earned a degree in art and music, but because she did not have college level English classes, she could not get a teaching license. She wanted Joellen to be independent. Therefore, Joellen eventually decided to study Education and become a teacher. Joellen earned her BS and MS in Education from Indiana University.
The summer after graduating high school, Joellen worked part-time at Jerry’s Restaurant to earn money for college. One night, George came in with three or four of his friends. They teased Joellen mercilessly. George finally convinced Joellen to go out on a date with him. Joellen wanted to go somewhere that was public and safe, so she suggested the Pekin Roller Rink. Unbeknownst to Joellen, George did not know how to skate. Determined to make a good impression, George went to the Salem Roller Rink with some friends. Unfortunately, the evening did not go well and the Roller Rink actually returned George’s money. Undaunted, George took Joellen to the Pekin roller rink anyway. It was a short evening because someone knocked him down and he hit his head. However, it was the first of many dates to come.
George and Joellen lost touch when she left for Bloomington. But George knew he had met the girl of his dreams, so he waited. Eventually, George and Joellen would date on and off for over seven years before he finally popped the question. He gave Joellen a ring but she did not like it so he had one especially designed for her.
The courtship was long but the engagement was short. Once they decided to marry they did not waste any time. They quickly decided to marry over Labor-Day weekend on September 1, 1967. Joellen found a dress at the White House in New Albany and rented her veil. George and Joellen were married at the Borden Church of Christ, where Joellen’s mother had painted the mural in the Baptismal area, and had the reception at the school cafeteria in Borden. Then it was off to Louisville, the airport and then Orlando Florida for a quick honeymoon as Joellen had to be back to School on Tuesday.
George and Joellen then became a team and made their mark in the world. George proved his business prowess by buying farms and then continuing to add to their acreage. In 1993, he was named Conversation Farmer of the Year and also received an award of merit for outstanding accomplishments in Resource Conservation. He was named Washington County Master Farmer in 2003.
George was a great businessman. He was known for his kindness. He was soft-spoken and always had a smile. He was a master at dealing with confrontation. One day, while mowing a rock flew out from his mower and hit a car. The driver was very upset and called her father. Things could have quickly escalated, but George resolved the matter by giving them some watermelons and pointing out that, yes, she could call the police, but there was not any damage to the vehicle. Everyone left with a smile.
That was George. He never met a stranger. He always had a kind word. And his word was golden. Everyone knew he was a man of his word and George very often conducted business with a handshake.
Joellen had a very successful teaching career, teaching in the elementary department. She taught 1st Grade at Clarksville for 33.5 years. After retiring from Clarksville, she went to Kentucky to teach and sub for another ten years, and then ending her teaching career in New Albany after subbing for three years there. Whether working as a sub, reading intervention specialist or a full-time classroom teacher, Joellen gave her students all she had. Altogether, Joellen taught for over 46 years.
Joellen was also heavily involved in her church, Salem Church of Christ. She was the Treasurer for twelve years of the daycare center, Noah’s Ark and she also supervised all the teachers. In addition to this, she was in charge of decorating the church with flowers for all occasions for many, many years. People marveled at her ability to beautify the church.
Flowers were a big part of Joellen’s life. For decades their house was known as the “House with the flower pots.” Every season, Joellen would change out the flowers in five large concrete vases in their yard along highway 60. This was such a massive undertaking that George had to assist her. Joellen would arrange the flowers in pots in the garage and then George would help her get them into the back of a truck and then slide them into the vases. It was a beautiful way to welcome people into Salem.
Joellen had a lot of breaks in her life…. Unfortunately they were bones! One year, she broke a bone in her foot a few days before school was to start when she fell from a ladder washing windows. Undaunted, she went to the school with a cast. It was a record setting heatwave and she and her little first graders were so hot in the classroom as there was no air conditioning. Finally, the school nurse intervened and stated that she could not work in such conditions and sent her home to heal for six weeks.
In all Joellen has broken a bone in her both feet, a femur, a tibia, her nose and her wrist. But she was fearless nonetheless and continued to work in the yard and mow. She was determined to not let previous accidents slow her down.
Yes, Joellen had several bad breaks in her life, but she would quickly acknowledge that none of the bad breaks would ever match the greatest break of all….. when she met her best friend of 55 years, George Meahl. According to Joellen, “He was known all over for his kindness and giving and he was a wonderful husband that no one could ever replace.”
In all, George and Joellen were married for 54.5 years. In 2017, George began his fight with cancer. Throughout that time, Joellen worked hard to take care of him at home. George eventually lost his battle with cancer on February 8, 2022. Joellen passed away on August 3, 2025.
Having no children, they decided to make the residents of Washington County their heirs by leaving their estate to the Washington County Community Foundation. George and Joellen’s spirit will be forever in our community.
