Olita Lloyd Davis, a former long-time Kirkwood resident, died on April 4, 2002, in Mountainair, N.M. Mrs. Davis was born June 11, 1918, in Ithaca, N.Y. She was a graduate of the University of Colorado.
Her husband, James Davis, and son, Bradley, preceded her in death. She is survived by a son, John, of Mountainair; three sisters; and two grandsons.
She was active in many phases of the arts, as a potter, a jeweler, a weaver, a painter and gourmet cook.
Contribution may be made in her memory for a memorial bench at Laumeier Sculpture Park, c/o Julia Norton, 12580 Rott Road, St. Louis, Mo., 63127.
Belinda May "Lynn" Skinner (nee Barton) died Saturday, Dec. 7, 2002.
Mrs. Skinner was the wife of James Skinner; mother of Bill (Jennifer) Skinner and Jimmy Skinner; grandmother of Susan, Kayla, Jacob and William; daughter of Robert M. Barton and Joan L. McClure; stepdaughter of Bill (Shirley) Smith; stepsister of Donna (Harvey) Pruitt, Rick (Lisa) Smith, Wally Smith, Bobby Barton, Beverly Norris and Sharon Bouckaert; sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend.
Funeral services were held Dec. 11 at Bopp Chapel in Kirkwood. Interment, Resurrection Cemetery.
Jettie Francis Smith died Monday, Sept. 20, 2002, after a six-year battle with leukemia.
Mr. Smith was born Aug. 29, 1935, in Gilliam, Mo. He moved his family to St. Louis in 1954 and began a 41-year career at Reliable Life Insurance Company in Webster Groves. He retired in 1998 as vice president of Real Estate.
Mr. Smith was preceded in death by his parents, Eva and Robert; brothers William Henry Jordan Smith, Charles Wayne and Bing; a sister, Alice Jordan; and son, Anthony Wayne.
He is survived by sisters Ida Belle Butner and Glenda Smith; brothers Herbert and Robert; ex-wife Mary Louise; daughter and son-in-law, Robert and Frances Shell; grandchildren Melissa Boyd-Gichuru and Robert Shell, Jr.; and great-granddaughter Jada Gardner.
Visitation was held Oct. 3 at Bopp Chapel in Kirkwood. Service and burial were held Oct. 5 at Weiker Funeral Home in Slater, Mo. Memorials may be made to the Leukemia Society.
Larry M. Smith, 65, died Wednesday, May 22, 2002.
Mr. Smith was a banker and a member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Webster Groves. He was the son of the late Fleta Irwin and Roy M. Smith.
Mr. Smith is survived by his daughter, Michele Dunaway; a son, Marty (Mary) Smith; sisters Cathy Irwin Reber, Margaret (Dennis) Barnidge and Janie (Leo) Garvin; and a brother, George (Nancy) Irwin.
Visitation and a funeral Mass were held Saturday, May 25, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 6400 Minnesota, 63111.
Lester W. Snyder, beloved husband of the late Flora W. (nee Tschannen) Snyder, died Monday, Dec. 24, 2001. He was 90.
Mr. Snyder was a milkman for St. Louis Dairy for 41 years until his retirement in 1974. He is survived by a daughter, Carol (Robert) O'Dell; grandfather of 8 and great grandfather of 12; uncle, cousin and friend of many.
Mr. Snyder was preceded in death by a son, the late William Snyder.
Visitation was held Saturday, Dec. 29, 2001 at Gerber Chapel in Webster Groves. A funeral service was held at the chapel immediately following. Interment was at St. Paul's Churchyard.
Memorial contributions in Mr. Snyder's name may be made to the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Edward Michael Sokoloski Jr., a resident of Kirkwood, died on Jan. 24, 2002. He was 64.
Mr. Sokoloski was born on April 14, 1937, in Dayton, Ohio. He worked as a research chemist for Monsanto.
Mr. Sokoloski was the husband of of Audrey Z. Sokoloski (nee Besom); father of Michael Scott Sokoloski and Christine O'Leary. He was the grandfather of six.
Dorothy L. Soutar (nee Heck) died Friday, Aug. 23, 2002.
Mrs. Soutar was the wife of Robert C. Soutar for 55 years. She was the mother of Sharon (Mark) Cherry; grandmother of Kristin Cherry; sister of Velma Anderson; cousin, aunt and friend to many.
Visitation was held Monday, Aug. 26 at Gerber Chapel in Webster Groves. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Glendale Lutheran Church. Burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Glendale Lutheran Church, 1365 N. Sappington Road, Glendale, Mo., 63122.
John J. Spano, a journalist and public relations executive, died Tuesday, July 30, 2002, of respiratory arrest at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was 82.
Mr. Spano served two terms as a director of the Board of Education of the Webster Groves School District, and on the board of the St. Louis Press Club. He was active in the Journalism Foundation of St. Louis which raises funds for journalism scholarships, and was a director of public relations and advertising for a division of Monsanto Company in St. Louis.
In 1982-83, Mr. Spano served as a media counselor to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. He was a reporter and editor for newspapers in New Orleans, Houston, and St. Louis, and served as Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Mr. Spano was a naval officer who fought in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy aboard amphibious LSTs in World War II.
He is survived by two daughters, Martha Harris and Susan Spano; a son, John J. Spano Jr.; and a granddaughter, Sarah Crockett Spano.
Interment was private at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to St. Luke's House, 6040 Southport Drive, Bethesda, Md., 20814.
Lois D. Spano, former educator in the Kirkwood and Webster Groves school districts, died of cancer Saturday, March 2, in Bethesda, Md. She was 78.
Mrs. Spano received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and a masters in teaching from Webster University. She taught geography for 20 years in Kirkwood and Webster Groves before retiring in 1981.
After retiring, she was a producer at KMOX Radio in St. Louis, as well as a freelance writer. She moved to Washington, D.C., in 1982, and later to Montgomery County, Md.
Mrs. Spano was a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Bethesda, Md., where she served as liaison with the Washington National Cathedral and on the Altar Guild and Garden Guild, among other activities. She was a member of the National Cathedral Association, P.E.O. sisterhood, and League of Women Voters.
Mrs. Spano is survived by her husband of 55 years, John J. Spano; two daughters, Martha Harris and Susan Spano; a son, John J. Spano, Jr.; and a granddaughter, Sarah Crockett Spano.
Interment is at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to a memorial fund in her name at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 6030 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, Md. 20814-1757.
Robert E. Staed, a lifelong resident of Kirkwood, died Thursday, Nov. 21, 2002, after a long illness. He was 88.
Mr. Staed graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1931. From 1941 to 1945, he served as a member of the 164th Combat Engineers, including duty in England, France and Belgium. Discharged a captain, Mr. Staed attended St. Louis University School of Law under the GI Bill. He practiced law in St. Louis from 1948 until his retirement in 1992.
Mr. Staed was elected to the Kirkwood City Council in 1960. During his tenure, the Greentree Festival began and many buildings, including the Kirkwood Community Center, were built. He served as a councilman until he resigned in 1970 to become the city attorney, a position he held until 1976. He later served as the city attorney for Florissant, and was a member of the Advisory Board of St. John's Mercy Medical Center in the 1960s.
Mr. Staed was a member of the Kirkwood Theater Guild, Alpha Sigma Nu, the American Bar Association, and the Knights of Columbus. He was a member of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee, and the parade chairman in 1981 and 1982.
Mr. Staed is survived by his wife, Mary C. Staed; two sons, Robert E. Staed Jr. and Timothy W. Staed, M.D.; one daughter, Maria S. Dwyer; and six grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held Nov. 25 at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church. Interment, St. Peter's Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Louis University High School, 4970 Oakland Ave., 63110, or to the charity of one's choice.
