Michigan native will celebrate 90th birthday on Jan. 22

Michigan native will celebrate 90th birthday on Jan. 22
Meyers have been wintering on Pleasure Island for the past 30 years

It has now been 40 years since Harold Myers of Michigan and his wife Joan had a dream that they could someday retire in South Baldwin County. The couple bought a lot on Canal Rd., eventually hand built a cottage on that lot, and upon Harold’s retirement, became snowbirds.
For the past 30 years, Harold, who will turn 90 on Jan. 22, and Joan have filled their car and traveled to Gulf Shores for the winter.
By now, their connection to Pleasure Island runs deep. The couple attends Saint Jude’s By the Sea Lutheran Church, where Harold served as usher for over 20 years. They’ve made many friends with locals and snowbirds they met through their church and the Michigan Snowbird Club. For many years, they enjoyed weekly domino games as part of a group of seniors who called themselves “Satisfiers.”
Harold still plays a good hand of pinochle upon request and completes jig saw puzzles daily. He enjoys watching barges and boats traverse the Intercoastal Waterway from his porch. Joan is also active in enjoying snowbird life and regularly swims at the Bodenhamer Center. An avid reader, Harold also helps his wife of 63 years with the weekly grocery shopping. A humble gentleman with wonderful life stories to share, Harold makes pancakes for his family every Saturday morning.
Harold’s strong Christian faith is evident in his dedication to loving and giving. He has imparted this to the three generations of his family who have grown up spending summer vacations here. That family includes three children, nine grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. His family tagged Harold the “baby whisperer” because babies love him.
Harold is dedicated to church and community, but his family comes first. He is in good health, and still personally maintains both his Michigan & Alabama residences, mowing lawns, raking leaves and working on his gardens in both locales.
A farm boy from a large family, Harold joined the Navy and served in WWII. Upon returning stateside, he worked on commercial shipping tankers making runs from Duluth to Detroit on the Great Lakes. He later was a manager of Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., singlehandedly covering service to three communities in Newaygo County until his retirement.
Born in Bear Lake (a small town of 500 in Northern Lower Michigan) Harold was one of six children reared on a rural farm. He was a state champion basketball player at Bear Lake High School and became an avid golfer in adulthood. When in Alabama, he and Joan became well known among golfers at both Gulf State Park and the O.B. Golf Center.
Harold’s Alabama connection began when his wife’s father, a Northern Michigan fruit farmer, was encouraged by a friend, Chauncey Clear, to come to Alabama for a visit. The fishing was better and the living more affordable than the Florida community Harold and Joan had been visiting, and the connection was immediate.
The Meyers came to Gulf Shores in 1960, bought a cottage from Frith’s Bait Shop and moved it to a lot on East Canal Rd. while they built their winter home on an adjacent lot.
That winter home has provided life memories for five generations of Meyers who love Pleasure Island faithfully and take some sun and smiles back with them to their northern homes every year.
The secret to Joan and Harold’s longevity and good health?
It may not be the only reason, but spending sunny winters on Pleasure Island for the past 30 years has certainly contributed.
Pictured: Among Harold’s many exercise routines is a daily walk to his roadside mailbox, usually within a few moments after it is delivered.