GEORGE NEWS - Deon Meyer, one of the train drivers who worked behind the wheel of the Tootsie steam train, passed away during December at the age of 64.
Meyer drove the Tootsie from 1993, doing his last stint on the train (reconditioned and renamed Amanda) in September last year in Mossel Bay.
He had 47 years of service with Transnet, starting his 'train journey' in 1974. He drove his first train in 1988.
Family members told George Herald that he was "a giant of a man with a kind and generous soul" who loved his steam trains but also adored his family and would move mountains to protect and help them.
He touched many people's lives over the years and was greatly respected by his colleagues. He took great pride in the steam engine and always ensured that it was brilliantly clean, even on his off-days for the other driver's shift. He spent the majority of his time with his close friend and also his stoker on the train, James van der Berg.
Meyer also played an important role in the lives of his grandchildren and children.
He is the father of Raynee, the Wellington Waver who won the hearts of motorists in George with his spontaneous waving along the road in the mornings, first in Wellington Street and now in Courtenay Street.
Meyer used to drive Raynee to music concerts that he loves and would patiently wait in the car until Raynee was finished to make sure he arrived back home safely.
Meyer leaves behind his wife Margaret, sons Clive and Raynee, daughter-in-law Vicki Meyer, grandchildren Divan and Isabella Meyer, and his sisters Jennifer Benn and Diane Oosthuizen.
The late Deon Meyer in the Tootsie (renamed Amanda).
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