Harold Meeks

James Harold Meeks fell asleep in death on Tuesday July 5, 2022. He was 83 years old.

A memorial talk will be given by Allen Cunningham on Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 2:00 PM at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses (2308 N. Valley Mills Dr., Waco, TX 76710) and virtually through Zoom (Meeting ID: 859 9563 7160; Passcode: HM2022)

Harold was born in the tiny town of Bryson, Texas on April 13, 1939 as the youngest of 8 to Lewis Albert and Lelah Maude Meeks. He has one surviving sibling, Weldon Meeks, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He married Linda Kay Rawlins on July 2, 1965. On their 57th anniversary, 2 days before he passed, Linda sat at his bedside the entire day recounting the many good memories they shared over the years. Though a little quieter than their other anniversaries, it was still full of many laughs and smiles; it was a good day.

Harold and Linda have 3 children and 3 grandchildren: Tonja Cunningham, married to Allen, and granddaughter Kaylee of Chester, New York; James Kevin “Jimmy” Meeks of Waco; Jennifer Young, married to Jason, and grandsons Jackson and Logan also of Waco; 3 step-grandchildren, Olivia, Charlotte and Andrew Young-Bullock. Will, Emma and Ellie Pitts, though not his grandchildren, always treated and viewed Harold as a grandpa, and he loved them deeply as well.

Harold was quite the character and made a wonderful and lasting impression on all whom he met. Every person who had a conversation with him, whether a good friend, an employee at his favorite restaurant, Golden Corral, a bank teller or a complete stranger, always walked away with a laugh and a smile each and every time. Harold grew up working hard at whatever he did to support himself and his mom, Lelah, who had become a single parent when Harold was only 6 years old. He took an interest in music and became an excellent, self-taught musician. That allowed him and his mom to enjoy a little easier life, which was one of his greatest joys. In 1958, at the age of 19, he began playing professionally as a lead guitarist and played with several well-known artists for over a decade.

When he and Linda had their second child in 1969, Harold realized the lifestyle that came with working in the music world conflicted with the most important priority in his life, his wife and children. So, he struggled to take on any work he could to get out of that business. He did everything from hair stylist (which he won awards for) to home building and house painting, cabinet building to general contractor work and many other jobs before eventually owning a foundation repair company. He also became an excellent oil-painting artist over the last 30 years, he just never got paid for it!

He and Linda began to study the Bible together and found that the Bible’s advice on marriage and family helped them to make even more changes to make their marriage a success and have the happiest family life possible.

Eventually, in 1971, on July 16th, Harold and Linda were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. From that point on, he truly lived by the two greatest commandments given by Jesus – to love Jehovah God with all his heart, mind and strength and to love all people as himself. He and Linda spent many hours together regularly volunteering to help others learn more about the Bible to benefit their families. He did this right up until a few weeks before his death. It brought him great joy when he was able to help someone understand their Bible better or help them find answers to their questions. Harold was a member of the Richland Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Waco up until the time of his death.

Although he gave up being a professional entertainer over 50 years ago, everyone knew Harold never stopped entertaining people. From telling endless stories of his antics and adventures to playing one of his many guitars, including the steel guitar, he loved making people smile and laugh. He also wrote many songs – some Grand Ole Opry worthy and some just to make his sweetheart, Linda, laugh. Harold and Linda were always known for how much they laughed together.

Harold truly did it all, and he did it all with style. He leaves behind a beautiful legacy of what true loyalty and unselfish love is. His family and hundreds of cherished friends, dozens of which he stayed close to for decades, will not be the same without him. However, Harold will sleep in peace until the words of Revelation 21:4 are fulfilled, and our tears of pain will be replaced with tears of joy when he lives again as a young man, and the entertainment begins again.