Joseph Bernard Schweninger Jr.

Joseph Bernard Schweninger, Jr. died on April 26, 2023, strengthened with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church and surrounded by family at his home in Dublin, Ohio. Beloved husband of Marcia Jean (Kelly); loving father of Joseph Michael, Amy Elizabeth Guirl (James), and Michael John (Kristen); caring grandfather known as “Papa” to Maureen, Katie, Jack, Joey, Eavan, Ben, Nick, Colleen, and Tommy; adored brother of Alice (Joe Ploussard), Anita (Ed Offutt), Audrey (Jack Smith), and Mary Beth (Tom Kitta); and dear uncle, cousin, and friend. Preceded in death by his parents Joseph Bernard Sr. and Adele Elizabeth (Goedeker) Schweninger.

Known to his tight-knit clan as “J”, Joe was born in St. Louis, Missouri, a second-generation American, 100% German, and part of a classic South St. Louis extended family. Joe lived in Manchester, Missouri after his parents bought land from nearby relatives. Joe and his sisters grew up on Carman Road in what was then very rural west St. Louis County: the next-door neighbor plowed his field with a mule. Joe explored the woods with his trusty dog Cinder. He was an avid baseball and basketball player. For high school, Joe attended CBC in St. Louis. One of the brothers nicknamed Joe “Lone Ranger” because of the long commute to school involving his dad driving part way, connecting Joe to a succession of bus routes. To get home, Joe frequently hitchhiked.

A 1959 graduate of St. Louis University, Joe majored in geophysical engineering, loved aviation, and was commissioned as an Air Force officer. He first served as a pilot and then traveled the world as a geodetic officer. He met his wife Marcia while stationed in Orlando, Florida. Joe and Marcia married at St. Joseph Church in Manchester on August 31, 1963. They raised their family in Kirkwood, Missouri and were members of St. Peter Parish for many years. Joe was very active in the parish and could be found throughout the year serving as lector at Mass, coaching baseball and softball, flipping pancakes, or selling Christmas trees. Joe and his family had a formative experience living in England in the late 1970s when he was transferred to London as an employee of Monsanto.

Joe exhibited a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility, and his love language was that of service. He was worthy of one’s trust: you could always count on Joe Schweninger. When touring Ireland once, he assisted a hapless family repair their roof, and he looked on in dismay as they departed for the local golf course to get a few rounds in while the sun was still shining. Joe finished the job himself. When it’s time to work, work, he would say. When it’s time to play, play. Another of his favorite expressions was, “Is Reality Optional?”. He was a jack of all trades and quite the handyman. When he made a toy airplane from scrap lumber, it wasn’t just a cross of wood: it had a shaped fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and ailerons. Joe remodeled two homes in Kirkwood that are still enjoyed by their current owners. Joe and Marcia split duties, Marcia handling everything inside the house and Joe everything outside. They were each supreme in their realms. In his later years, Joe took over laundry and dishwashing, tasks he performed with his usual skill and attention to detail. He insisted on being the sole diaper changer for his grandchildren.

While he became a very private man in his later years, the boy from Manchester loved schmoozing with people and passed on a great love for experiencing new cultures to his children and grandchildren. He was well-known at weddings for his ability to dance “The Twist”. Joe had a remarkable number of life-long friends, and especially enjoyed his buddies from CBC, the Air Force, Southwestern Bell, and Monsanto. Valuing travel as the best education, Joe travelled to over 50 countries throughout his life with family and friends and especially enjoyed trips taken with Marcia after retirement. Joe would marvel at how blessed he had been to do what he had done, such as working alongside a road construction crew while touring China, helping a family harvest logs while visiting Maine, or swimming at French Frigate Shoals while using a landing craft as a diving board.

Joe had a melancholy temperament and was a sentimental man. Joe and Cinder bagged a rabbit once, and Joe still felt guilty about it decades later. He enjoyed 1970s soft rock, and one of his happy memories was that of driving down along a lonely Maine logging road while America’s “Sister Golden Hair” was playing on the radio. Other than grilling, Joe didn’t cook much, but he made a superb breakfast after each Sunday Mass and would sometimes hold forth for hours afterward, discussing politics and current events with his family. One of his great joys after his children were older was returning to aviation. At the controls of N4EC, the legendary “Four-Echo-Charlie”, Joe took pleasure in once again displaying his flying skills for family and friends.

Joe was a devoted caregiver for Marcia as they managed Marcia’s deteriorating health in their final years. Marcia died on January 9, 2023, after a long struggle with Inclusion Body Myositis, a muscle-wasting disease that in her final years made it impossible for her to walk. Joe did not long survive her passing.

Visitation will be from 9-10 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, 2023, in the vestibule of St. Peter Church, 243 W. Argonne Dr., Kirkwood, Missouri. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. at St. Peter Church. Interment will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, St. Louis.

The family requests memorial contributions to the Peter Frampton Fund at the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center: https://www.hopkinsmyositis.org/gift/peter-frampton-myositis-research-fund/

“Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God”

-Joe Schweninger