William Fairbanks Meeker, “Will”
William Fairbanks Meeker, “Will” – force of nature, gone too soon, forever young, forever loved.
Born to Margarita Fairbanks Lande and William V. Meeker, May 17,1986 in Paris France and passed May 19, 2024, William truly was a global citizen. He had friends from many countries and many walks of life, all of whom he impacted in a beautiful way and by whom, together with his extensive family, he will be deeply missed.
Will grew up in Santa Barbara, attending Montessori preschool, Mount Carmel and Marymount schools for his primary years. Throughout his life, William was an avid and gifted athlete in baseball, soccer, bowling, pool, tennis, golf, polo, snowboarding, and scuba diving, and performed all these activities with a high degree of skill. William had a strong patriotic streak from childhood. He admired the conduct, honor and integrity of the military and at the age of 12 had the unique opportunity to go to the NSA at Annapolis to be mentored by a family friend stationed there. He actively participated in military exercises and thrived in that environment. At age 14, William moved back to Paris, France to live with his father and attended the Ecole Active Bilingue for his first two years of high school. In the summer of his 15th year, William attended the Marine’s rigorous Devil Pup program at Camp Pendleton and was grateful for the challenge and experience. He returned to Santa Barbara for his junior and senior years at SBHS.
After graduating from SBHS, he went to SBCC for two years. During this time, he, along with two classmates, started the SBCC Collegiate Polo Team. This team went on to compete at the national level and was very successful. This is also when Will started playing the drums. He played piano as a child, later adding the guitar, electric and acoustic, but the drums were something he was deeply passionate about. From City College, he went on to Pepperdine University which was such a special time for Will. He loved the spiritual foundation of the school and, along with the gorgeous campus, it was a fertile ground for growth, both academic and personal, and making many more lifelong friends. It was here that he formed, with 3 of his fellow students, a hard rock band called Wolfgod. They performed at various venues in the Los Angeles area and he became a fantastic drummer. Will also did an internship with Starbucks in Switzerland, which was a great experience and further broadened his family of friends. He graduated from Pepperdine University with a double major in A counting and International Business which would ultimately lead him to an advanced degree in accounting and his CPA credential. William spent years in the accounting and auditing field and was CFO of BOLD Capital Partners at the time of his passing.
William would then go on to discover another passion, skydiving. He loved the freedom – soaring high above the Earth – the speed, the technology and skill involved. He eventually became an instructor and was always looking for ways to quench his thirst for the sport. An expert skydiver, he trained for and executed a Halo Dive – a high altitude military parachuting at 34,000 feet. The skydiving community created an adrenaline-fueled bond that cemented another family for Will.
William was a deep and soulful man. He loved God and was blessed with a great deal of empathy for others. He was a person who was fully present with whomever he was with and showed sincere interest in who they were and what they did. He asked questions. As one person put it, “to meet Will was to feel loved by him,” that’s how special he made people feel. He possessed an enormity of thought and could process information at lightning speed. He read avidly and was a font of historical facts. Will was never one for sound bites and was fully authentic. Humor was a hallmark of Will’s personality and his identity. A master of comic relief, he could disarm anyone. This trait drew people to him and ignited lifelong relationships. Will also spent a great deal of time in the gorgeous landscapes of Montana, where his father has a summer cabin. Here he would hike, fish and hunt and be one with the land. This was truly one of his favorite places on earth.
Joyfully, in 2021 he met his soul mate and dance partner for life, Margarita “Rita” Chuikova. They shared three of the most beautiful years two people could imagine with one another. They had very recently secured a fiancé visa, as Rita is from Russia, and were preparing for marriage and a family together. Will left this earth happier than he had ever been, with a heart full of love. For those left behind, it is a blessing as we struggle to accept this sudden loss.
Will is survived by his parents, Margarita and Chuck Lande, Bill and Jocelyne Meeker, his sisters Jessica, Alena, Eglantine, Katie and Leslie, his fiancé Rita, and countless cousins, aunts and uncles.