Richard C. Meals, age 85, of Ruscombmanor Township, passed away Thursday, May 16, 2012 in St. Joseph's Medical Center, Bern Township. He was the devoted and loving husband of Gloria G. (Hinkle) Meals for 66 years.
He was born in Reading, PA, the son of the late Charles G. Meals and Catherine (Grainger) Meals.
Richard made a career as a Mushroom Grower, owning and operating the former Meals Mushroom Farms in Fleetwood for much of his life.
From the late 1950's through the 1980's his passion was racing. Local race fans will remember him as the proud owner of the blue #44 modified stock car which was a staple at local tracks. Many drivers raced his cars over the years, including his son, Michael. For his endeavors and success at the former Reading Fairgrounds and other local tracks, he was recently inducted into the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society Hall of Fame.
Besides having a dedication to racing, Richard also belonged to many local clubs which included the Evergreen CC, Kenhorst Fire Co., Goodwill Fire Co., and Blandon Fire Company.
Richard is survived by his wife Gloria and son Michael R. Meals, Fleetwood whose companion over the past several years has been Janet (Hufford) Meals. He is also survived by his grandchildren; Shawn Meals, Michelle (Meals) Wade, Chelsea (Grow) Sayah, Doug Snyder, Christine Nezelkewicz and Valerie Nezelkewicz. In addition, he is survived by nine great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his two daughters Sharon (Meals) Nezelkewicz and Connie (Meals) Snyder, and a sister Helen (Meals) Foose.
Funeral services will be Monday, May 21 at 11:00 AM at the Mae A. Stump Funeral Home, Inc. 117 West Main Street, Fleetwood. A viewing will begin Monday at 10:00 AM and conclude at the beginning of the service. Burial will be in Fleetwood Cemetery. Contributions can be made to the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society,P O Box 427, Temple,, PA, 19560). Obituary and online condolences may be recorded at maestumpfuneralhome.com.