Former Representative to the United States Congress John Myers died in his home in Covington, Ind., on Jan. 27. Myers was born Feb. 8, 1927, making him 87 at the time of his death.
The funeral was held Saturday in Fountain County, where he was a lifelong ?citizen.
He served as the representative from Indiana’s 7th Congressional District from 1967 until 1997, when he made the decision not to run for his 16th term in ?office.
Currently, the 7th Congressional District encompasses most of Marion County and Indianapolis, but at the time of Myers’ term in office, the district included a large portion of western Indiana, including Lafayette and Terre Haute.
At the time of his retirement, Myers was the third-most senior Republican in the House of ?Representatives.
He served on several committees within the House and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and ranking Republican on the House Ethics Committee.
Gov. Mike Pence issued a statement Jan. 28 ?commemorating Myers.
“It was with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of former U.S. Congressman John Myers,” Pence said in the statement. “For three decades, John worked tirelessly to represent Hoosiers from west-central Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legacy of public service he leaves behind us is unmatched, and we do well to strive to emulate his example.”
In addition to the issued statement, Pence instructed all flags at state facilities in Fountain County to be flown at half-staff the day of his ?funeral.
Myers was laid to rest with full military honors at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Covington.
One of his biggest legislative achievements was co-sponsoring the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992, which regulated mammogram-offering facilities to increase effectiveness at detecting breast cancer.
Sen. Dan Coats, who worked with Myers while they were representing Indiana in the U.S. legislature in the 1990s, offered a comment on Myers’ passing.
“It was a pleasure to serve in Congress with John Myers and call him a friend,” Coats said. “I join with countless others who are grateful for his devotion to Indiana. Marsha (Coats’ wife) and I offer our condolences to his family.”
Myers is known for his loyal projects in his congressional district. Most notably was the Railroad Relocation Project, an effort to rearrange and relocate some of the railroad crossings throughout Lafayette. It took 29 years and $186 million to complete.
Due to his dedication for the completion of the project, Myers had a pedestrian foot bridge named after him.
The Main Street Bridge was built as a result of the ?Railroad Relocation ?Project.
Myers graduated from Covington High School in 1945 before serving in the U.S. Army from 1945 until 1946. He graduated from Indiana State University ?in 1951.
