Remembering Fred Meijer [VIDEO]

On Friday, November 25, we lost Fred Meijer.

Fred Meijer was famous for his Meijer grocery stores, but will be remembered for the way he generously gave back to West Michigan.

You will find Meijer's name all over West Michigan. The list of organizations he gave to is very long and his donations total many millions of dollars. But it wasn't just about the money. Fred Meijer was also a champion for diversity. Meijer was involved with the Grand Rapids Urban League and was a regular contributor. In 1957, Meijer hired Fannie Levine. She was the first black cashier to work at Meijer.

In 1995, Meijer brought us the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. I've been there many times: a wedding, school field trips with the kids, concerts, to see the butterflies, to enjoy a nice summer day, and more. It is already hard to imagine Grand Rapids without The Gardens.

Fred Meijer once said, "I want to leave the world in a little better shape than when I entered it." I think we can all agree, he certainly did.

Take a minute to read Meijer's obituary and sign the guest book at fredmeijermemorial.com. Here's all of the info on the public and private memorial services from fredmeijermemorial.com:

The public is invited to attend a visitation at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E. Beltline NE, from 2 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29.
There will be a private memorial service on Wednesday, November 30. Memorial contributions may be made to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in memory of Fred.

View the video below to learn more about Fred Meijer's life and how he lived it.

Filed Under: fred meijer

Categories: Grand Rapids News