After his parents passed away Archie went to his grand parents to live. They lived Westphalia Kansas. He moved there when he was about 8 years old and lived there for about 5 years. He left when he was about 12 or 13. Left because Grandpa died and Grandma moved to Waverly Kansas where they lived for a year or two.
From 1927 to 1929 he lived in the back of the Bank in Isabelle Kansas with Uncle Earl Meairs. Uncle Earl Meairs Owned and ran the Bank. He had to share a bed with Uncle Earl the hole time he was there.
Then he moved to Wichita in 1929 where he stayed with Clive and Clair. He also stayed with Minor White and his mother. He attended a grade school on Maple street. He attended East High School for two years. He worked at Jacks and Walker when he was about 14, unloading lumber and coal.
Archie hitch hiked to California in the 1930's. While in California he tried to join the Army, but he had the hives and they wouldn't take him, so he hitch-hiked back to Fort Bliss where he joined the Army in 1936.
Archie enlisted in the Army (Cavalry) at Fort Bliss. Clive had to sign the papers for Archie to get in the Army because he was 17 years old and too young to enter the service without a Guardian's permission. The horses were wild and Archie had to break his own mount. He stayed at Fort Bliss Texas until he went to Panama.
He was a civilian working on the Panama Channel at the time. Cecilia was a dancer in a night club. Cecilia and her sister Amalia had been dancing together on stage since early childhood.
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One night, when she was seventeen, she noticed Archie in the crowd. He was playing poker and watching the show. Cecilia turned to her sister and said, "There's the man going to marry someday". In her sly way, she got herself introduced and in the way of nature, they were soon dancing. After several dances, Cecilia went to the power room. She returned to the dance floor with a powered nose, but Archie had left. Cecilia told her girl friend, "Well, that's the last I'll see him!" She admitted that she wanted to see him again. Archie was the roommate of the man that knew Cecilia's friend. Cecilia had her girl friend arrange to have Archie come to her home. After that they were together every day, but never alone. It was the custom to have a chaperon with them whenever they were together. Archie said that, Cecilia's mother, Rdrge, became like his own. They were devoted to each other up to Rdrge's death.
Archie met and married Cecilia Rodriguez on January 6, 1943 in Panama.
1944
Picture was taken at the Blue Moon on South Broadway, In Wichita Kansas. Archie was leaving for California. He was being shipped out to the Pacific Theater of World War II.
While living in Wichita he has owned 10 Barber Shops.
Archie Larue Meairs III, was born in Wichita Kansas, May 6, 1949.
Obituary in memory of Archie L Meairs JR
Obituary In Memory of Cecilia Carrcan (Rodrigues) Meairs.
Posted March 29, 1998