Lester J. Meyer of Basehor, Kan. died peacefully at his vineyard home on Thursday, November 30, 2023.
“Les” lived a lot of life in his 90 years and could easily be considered the original most-interesting-man-in-the-world. He was born on a farm in Seneca, Kan. on January 8, 1933. And no one’s world was ever the same with Les in it.
The dimple in his chin signaled some of his childhood mischievousness. Most people never saw that dimple—rival to the one that made Kirk Douglas famous. Instead, they remembered Les’s signature lifelong beard and handlebar moustache. His "look" often brought comments that he resembled Ernest Hemingway, Kenny Rogers, and even Grizzly Adams. But Les wrote his own unique story.
At an early age Les became a horse whisperer of sorts and started breaking wild horses. He never had any fear. This is probably when he adopted his sage advice, "Never trust a person who doesn't love a puppy or a pony."
He was always an avid sportsman who loved the outdoors. As a youth, he won the State of Kansas terracing championship with a horse-drawn plow and was also the first hunter in Kansas to take a deer with an archery permit.
When he joined the army he was sent to Trieste, Italy. Oh, the stories about the redheads, brunettes, and blondes he met along the way. It was in the military that he started cutting hair and found a love for wine. Both became lifelong passions.
When Les returned from the army, he attended barber school and quickly went to work making a name for himself as the man who could cut the finest flat top in all of Kansas City. And if your hair wasn't suited to the style, he would tell you. He took great pride in his work and was a sought-after platform artist and pioneering influencer for a variety of hair care brands. He traveled the country attending barber and hairstyling competitions as well as teaching his techniques. Showmanship and artistry came naturally to him. The wall of trophies on display in his salons proved his skill. For 42 years he cut hair, starting at The Granada, then followed by his own salons: Les' Stylist, Les' Varsity Barber Shop, and The Hair Magicians. His appointment book read like a verifiable list of the "who's who of Wyandotte County." Still today, people are quick and proud to tell his family that, "Les cut my hair." Even if they don't have any hair left! When Les invented "The Claw," a hairstyling comb, he refused to go to Las Vegas to promote it, and instead sent a video of how to use the tool. Saying no to Vegas started a yearly tradition of taking his family fishing in the remote lakes of Canada.
Throughout his years of hairstyling, Les always had another hand in the dirt, and he collected farm ground, saying, "They aren't making any more land." His respect for the land and farming and his love of wine intersected at a time when most people would consider retirement. Always the entrepreneur, he dove headfirst on establishing a vineyard. He didn't want to just make wine; he wanted to grow it. So that is exactly what he did when he established Holy-Field Vineyard and Winery in Basehor, Ks. Les blazed a trail in the revival of the Kansas wine industry. He traded his hairstyling scissors for pruners and never looked back.
Always the consummate overachiever, Les filled yet another wall with awards—this time for winemaking—as Holy-Field became known for some of the most highly praised wines in America. He was quick to offer you a sample of his beloved port wine and declare, "Makes your gooder feel better!" The vineyard life suited him well. He could always be found working in the rows with his signature beret tipped on his head and a red kerchief around his neck. His beloved dogs, Casey, Bacchus, and Vinnie were always nearby. What a picture of a renaissance man.
Regardless of whether he was your hairstylist or your vigneron, Les will always be remembered and admired for his forward-thinking spirit and his stories.
Les was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Susie Meyer; his siblings, Frank Meyer, Irene Heinen, Thelma Schmelzle, and Mary Engelken and his children's mother, Shirley Welsh Meyer. He is survived by his children, Patrick Meyer, Michelle Meyer, and Craig Meyer; granddaughter, Regan Meyer; a sister, Loyola Engelken, and honorary family member, Mandy Hampton. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at Holy Angels Catholic Church, Basehor, Kan. Visitation at 9:30 a.m. and funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 31970 State Highway P, Clyde, MO 66432-8100. Condolences may be expressed at www.porterfuneralhome.com