Although he received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Robert James Meredith rarely talked about his World War II experiences. “He never went into much detail, other than to say he’d been hit by shrapnel and that years later, a lot of it was still embedded in his skin,” said his brother Percy. Mr. Meredith, 82, of Elburn, an Army veteran and retired engineer, died of kidney failure Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Provena Pine View Care Center in St. Charles. Born in Aurora, Mr. Meredith graduated in 1940 from Elburn Community High School and later received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During World War II, Mr. Meredith held the highest grade of sergeant. He fought in Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge, where family members said he was wounded in January 1945. After returning to Elburn, Mr. Meredith was employed for a time at General Electric in DeKalb and was a mechanical engineer for several local companies. He later worked at Teledyne Pines in Aurora for 20 years, until retiring in 1971. During his career, he held two patents for industrial inventions. In his retirement, Mr. Meredith devoted much of his time to his machine shop at home, where he spent hours fixing things and inventing. “He was very mechanical and could put together and take apart just about anything,” his brother said. Mr. Meredith also enjoyed reading war novels and books on World Wars I and II. For nearly 60 years, Mr. Meredith was an active member of Elburn American Legion Post 630, where he also served as the caller on bingo nights. Other survivors include a brother, Leslie; and many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn.
