Sr. Mary Virginia Graczak
1926 - 2016
Sister Mary Virginia Graczak, OSU, also known as Marie Graczak, died peacefully on Sept. 17, 2016, at St. Andrew’s at Francis Place in Eureka, Missouri. The daughter of Joseph R. and Alice Hermann Graczak, she was born on June 29, 1926, in Ellisville, Missouri. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Cyril and Anthony Graczak. She is survived by a sister, Sister Miriam Teresa Graczak, OSU; her sister-in-law, Kay Graczak; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Sister Mary Virginia received her grade school education at St. Joseph School in Manchester, Missouri, and her high school education at Ursuline Academy in Kirkwood, Missouri. She entered the Ursuline Sisters in July 1944 and made her vows in January 1947. She studied at The College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, New York, and at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago.
Her gifts, especially those for music, led her to minister as a music and piano teacher and choir director. She served in schools in Springfield, Illinois; Frontenac, Minnesota; New Orleans, Louisiana; and San Antonio, Texas. She continued to teach piano to a few fortunate students after she moved to Alton, Illinois, in July 2013.
Sister Mary Virginia’s final gift was to donate her body to St. Louis University School of Medicine.
A celebration of her life will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21, at St. Ambrose Church in Godfrey, Illinois. The Rev. John L. Ostdiek, OFM, will preside.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Ursuline Sisters Retirement Fund, 353 S. Sappington Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122.
Marvell Kassing
1931 - 2016
KASSING, Marvell (nee VonAllmen), 85, Surrounded by the love of her family, went to be with her Lord on Mon., Sept. 26, 2016. Beloved wife of the late William H. Kassing; cherished mother of Cynthia (Mark) Melvin; dear grandmother of William K. and Catherine L. Melvin; sweet sister of June (the late Gus) Pulos, Barbara (Ned) Parker & Susan (Dan) Brown; dear aunt of Jason (Barb) Pulos, Steve (Kim) Parker, Ellen (Greg) Cole & Dan (Alyssa) Brown; dear great-aunt of Elena, Gus, Drew, Ryan, Natalie, Ella & Emily; dear sister-in-law of Robert (Janet) Kassing.
Visitation Sat. 9:30 am followed by 10:30 am funeral service at BOPP Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood. Interment private. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Steinback Cancer Research B124-40 or to a charity of one’s choice.
Barbel Holtmann
1942 - 2016
Holtmann, M.D., Barbel “Hoot” passed away peacefully on Wed., Sept. 21, 2016. Dear sister of Christa (the late David) Wilkinson; dear aunt of Jeffrey (Joanna), Christopher (Kristen), and Neal Wilkinson, great-aunt of Andrew and William, Pearce, and Alexander Wilkinson. Dear friend and colleague to many.
Barbel was born in Strausberg, Germany and emigrated in 1950. She graduated from Southwest High School in St. Louis and University of Missouri at Columbia, where she was president of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She received her Medical degree from University of Missouri Medical School and practiced Plastic Surgery until retraining in Anesthesiology in the 80’s, working at Barnes Hospital for a combined 42 years before retirement in 2014.
Visitation at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood, Friday September 30, 5-8:00 pm. Private family service. Should friends desire, memorials preferred to Washington University School of Medicine, University of Missouri Medical School Foundation, or Forest Park Forever.
Loretta Marie Close
1922 - 2016
Loretta Marie Close (nee Backus), Born 2/22/1922 and Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on Sunday, September 25, 2016 at age 94. Beloved mother and best friend of Kathy (Larry) Bauer and Jack W. Close, Jr.; loving grandmother of Laura Winzen, David (Meghan) Winzen, Chris Winzen, Angie Eppenbaugh, Ashleigh (Jay) Caniglia; cherished great-grandmother of Ashlee and Caitlin Eppenbaugh, Gino, Vinny, Arabella, and Sarafina Caniglia and Wyatt Winzen; dear aunt and friend to many.
Visitation 9:30am until time of Funeral Mass at 11am on Thurs., Sept. 29, at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, 1969 Dougherty Ferry Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122. Interment St. Peter Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Mitchell Christian Weis
1996 - 2016
Weis, Mitchell (Mitch) Christian, 20, passed away Sunday, September 25, 2016. Beloved son of Susan Weis and Marc C. Weis, dear brother of Marc C. Weis II, beloved grandson of Gloria Harrelson-Watterich, dear nephew, cousin and dear friend.
Mitchell lived in Webster Groves and Richmond Heights. He attended Webster Groves High School and was a member of the Webster Groves Lacrosse team. In his short time with us he touched our lives in so many different ways. His laughter was infectious. He was kind and gentle with a heart of gold. His smile could warm anyone's heart. Mitchell was an extremely intelligent and artistically gifted young man. He was a great outdoorsman who loved fishing, hunting, snowboarding and hiking.
Visitation is Friday, October 7, 2016, 2:00 - 8:00 pm at BOPP CHAPEL, 10610 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood. Sharing of remembrances starting at 6:30pm.
If desired, memorials may be made to the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Dorothy Louise Chapman
1922 - 2016
Dorothy L. Chapman (nee Castello) Saturday, September 17, 2016.
Beloved wife of the late Stanley G. Chapman; loving mother and mother-in-law of Michael (Donna) Chapman, Deborah (Jim) Healey, Louise (Jim) Brandenburg, and Christine (Ken) Scheller; cherished grandmother and great-grandmother; dear sister of Jack (Kaye) Castello and Mary Ann (Jim) McLafferty;
Visitation at St. Monica Catholic Church, 12140 Olive Blvd, Friday, September 23, 10:30 am followed by Mass at 11:30 am. Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 1867 Lackland Hill Pkwy, St. Louis, MO 63146.
Jo Ann Brockman
1928 - 2016
Jo Ann (Brown) Brockman, 88, of Kirkwood, Missouri went to her heavenly home on September 25, 2016 surrounded by family. Jo Ann is survived by her 6 children: Mark (Deborah), David (Patti), Pam, Kirk (Teresa), John (Lisa) and Don; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Jo Ann was born to Preston and Bonoline Brown of Amarillo, TX. She had one sibling, Preston Brown, who predeceased her. Jo Ann and Francis “Brock” Brockman were joined in holy matrimony and remained sweethearts for 65 years. Brock predeceased Jo Ann and went to his heavenly home in February, 2015.
Jo Ann was devoted to Brock and her family. She was a long-time active member of St. Peters Catholic Church in Kirkwood. She was passionate regarding her role as a wife, mother and homemaker. Her interests included bible studies, gourmet cooking, sewing, gardening, traveling, playing bridge and golf. She was a perfect hostess and her real gift was serving others. She loved to spend time with family and friends.
Visitation will be at Bopp Chapel at 10610 Manchester, Kirkwood MO on Friday, September 30, 4:00-7:00PM. The Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, October 1, at St. Peters Catholic Church in Kirkwood at 9:30AM. Contributions in memory of Jo Ann may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Thomas Robert Forget, Sr.
1940 - 2016
Thomas Robert Forget, Sr. “Tom”, Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on Monday, May 23, 2016. Beloved husband of 53 years to Theresa J. Forget (nee Allegro); Loving father of Thomas R. (Nickole) Forget, Jr.; devoted grandfather of Rosa, Thomas III, and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Forget; dear brother of the late Julia, Walter, Danny, Kenneth, Audrey, and Doris; His favorite sister-in-law Rosemary (Philip) Mortillaro and dear brother-in-law of the late Eugene and Bart Allegro; dear uncle of Nicky, Frank A., Frank E., Frank J., Annemarie, Maria, Judy, and Marie; dear cousin and friend to many.
Memorial Visitation 4-8pm Friday, May 27, at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd., in Kirkwood. Memorial Mass 12:00 noon Saturday, May 28, at St. Anselm Parish, 530 S. Mason Rd, St. Louis, MO 63141. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Michael Stephen Lane
1970 - 2016
Lane, Michael S. Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church on October 19, 2016.
Cherished son of Stephen and Linda Lane; Beloved brother of Carin (Dan) Moore; loving uncle to Jack, Sam, Mabel and Billy Moore; dear grandson of Fannie Latham; dear cousin, nephew and beloved friend to many.
Michael loved all that was outdoors, particularly the beauty of Alaska, relaxing rides on his motorcycle and reading a book on his front stoop. His relationships were wide, wonderful and full of wisdom.
Services: Funeral Mass Tuesday, Oct. 25th, 11 a.m. at St. Peter Catholic Church, 243 W. Argonne, Kirkwood. Interment St. Peter Cemetery. Visitation Monday, 4-8 p.m., Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to the National Park Foundation, 1100 Vermont Ave. N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20005 or The Benedict Horinek Fund, Guaranty State Bank, c/o Benedict Horinek, PO Box 607, Beloit, KS 67420.
Agni M. Karagiannis
1951 - 2016
Karagiannis, Agni M. (nee Tzianos) on Monday, May 30, 2016. Beloved wife of Harry G. Karagiannis. Dear mother of Timothy (Jill), Steve (Krisanthe), Michael (Kate), and John Karagiannis. Dear grandmother of Jack, Samuel, Grace, Angelo, Harry, Kosta, and Joe. Dear daughter of Mihail and Ourania Tzianos. Dear sister of Dimitrios (Tracey) Tzianos. Dear aunt, sister-in-law, cousin, and friend to many.
Agni was a matriarch of Spiros Restaurant and a former president of the St. Louis Chapter of Daughters of Epiros.
Visitation 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd. in Kirkwood with Trisagion Service at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be Thursday, June 2, 10:30 a.m. at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 1755 Des Peres Rd., Town and Country, Mo. 63131. Interment St. Matthews Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Daughters of Epiros – St. Louis Chapter, or Shriners Hospital for Children.
Sheila M. Ford
1963 - 2016
Ford, Sheila Marie passed away Sun., Sept. 18, 2016. She was the loving daughter of Ray (Judy) Ford and Shirley (Larry) Voyles, sister of Bryan F. Ford and the late Gregory B. Ford. She was an aunt to Jennifer L. (Jeff) Cowan and Geoffrey D. Ford. She was the great aunt to Hattie G. Cowan.
She was born in Needham, MA and lived for many years in Atlanta before moving to St. Louis. She attended Williams Woods College and graduated from Maryville University with a degree in Hospital Administration. She loved animals, especially cats. She enjoyed traveling. She passed away after a long battle with cancer and will be missed.
Services: Funeral Service Sat., Sept. 24, 11:00am at Kirkwood Baptist Church, 211 N. Woodlawn Ave., Kirkwood. Entombment Bellerive Mausoleum. Visitation Fri. 4-7:00pm at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood. In lieu of flowers, donations appreciated to The Biome Charter School, 4471 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108.
