Standard Signs Inc, the manufacturer of Lumacurve Airfield Signs, was originally established in 1936 by Vern Messner (pictured on the left) in Cleveland, Ohio, offering porcelain enameling services. Later Vern created his own safety sign product line for factories, mills, and warehouses. During WWII, production shifted to heat-treating aircraft parts. After the war, Vern developed a design for the first airfield guidance sign specification, the L-829, issued in 1955 by the Civil Aeronautics Authority, FAA’s predecessor. Vern’s design was the first to be approved.
By the seventies, Vern had retired and his sons Andy and Steve were managing the business. The Messner sons saw the need for an improved airfield sign in response to FAA’s L-858 sign specification and introduced the LUMACURVE in 1982. Sleek in appearance, Lumacurve’s curved face inherently sheds jet blast while providing uniform lighting. The modular design makes it easy to add to the sign’s length. The signs have “slide-in” panels and state-of-the-art lighting systems.
In 2010 Lumacurve Airfield Signs moved to a new facility in Macedonia, Ohio, south of Cleveland. Now a 4th generation family company, many others have joined our team and contributed significantly to the company’s growth and ability to meet customer needs.
In Memoriam
Now at home with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Steve was the beloved husband of Barbara (Lee) and devoted father of Marianne (Michael) Wray of Colorado Springs CO, and Mark (Mellany) Messner of Mentor, and loving grandfather of Brandon and Devon Messner. He is also survived by his brother and former business partner, Andrew Messner (Jane Schweitzer), his sister-in-law Catherine (Randy Lee) and Michael Monsegur, brother-in-law Frank (dear friend Ellen Richard) Lee, and numerous nephews and nieces. He is predeceased by his parents, Vern and Rhoda (Henry) Messner.
Steve graduated from Hiram College in 1956 and signed up with a US Navy recruiter on campus who offered four months of training, an officer’s commission, and three years of active duty. Steve most enjoyed his service in navigation on a destroyer, the USS Cogswell (DD-651), in the Pacific Fleet.
With his brother, he managed Standard Signs Inc for 36 years; during which Steve spearheaded the creation of the Lumacurve Airfield Sign, introduced in 1982, noted for its curved face, and now marking runways and taxiways in numerous airports throughout the US to include Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield and Los Angeles. Several of Steve’s industry friends gathered in Washington DC on May 6, 1996, to wish him well when he retired.
For 17 years after retirement, Steve served as the volunteer manager of the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries “Friend to Friend” program, which restored hope to the incarcerated for new beginnings.
Steve loved music, played the flute from his youth, and supported the Cleveland Orchestra passionately. A family man, Steve is remembered for his “can-do” and adventuresome spirit. Steve actively supported wonderful family trips, a shared cottage with his brother’s family at Lake Mohawk, Marianne’s international travel, Mark’s Eagle Scout achievement, hosting international students, all kinds of family pets, and tackling various home renovation projects. He was a 74-year member of Church of the Saviour (COTS) in Cleveland Heights, where he served in many capacities and loved teaching the Bible.
A live stream celebration of life service will be held at COTS on Friday, January 15, 2021, at 2:00 pm EST; website: www.cotsumc.org. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Steve’s memory to Church of the Saviour Foundation, 2537 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights OH 44118 or Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, 4515 Superior Ave, Cleveland OH 44103.