Lawrence Charles Wilms Jr.

Mr. Wilms saw patterns everywhere.

He made his living that way as a pattern maker for a manufacturer. In his spare time he designed clever wood works or gadgets. The Susan Blow School in Carondelet shows his handiwork as he transformed simple household items into 19th century-styled displays.

Mr. Wilms just had a knack for figuring things out.

When other Blow School volunteers couldn’t figure out how to get a large item upstairs, Mr. Wilms knew a fulcrum could do the work that brute strength couldn’t. When a 350-plus pound woodworking machine was delivered to his house, the then-sixty something Mr. Wilms told workers just to drop it in the driveway; he and his mother could get it into the basement. They did, too, after he disassembled the entire thing.

Mr. Wilms, known by Larry by some and Sonny by others, was born on Oct. 31, 1929 to L. C. Wilms Sr. and Viola Ann Wilms (nee Frey), who preceded him in death.

He grew up in a four-family flat in South St. Louis just north of Carondelet. While he didn’t have any siblings, he was very close to his cousins.

Mr. Wilms was an avid gymnast. He graduated from Cleveland High School in 1948 and went on to graduate from Rankin Trade School as a pattern maker.

For many years, he worked for the Remmers Pattern Co., where he retired. In 2003 from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Works awarded him a Jewelled Veteran’s Badge for 50 years of membership.

Mr. Wilms enjoyed gathering trivia, researching historical sites and people. He was a genealogical enthusiast and a member of the DeMolay Order, a fraternal organization.

He shared what he learned, particularly with children.

“He loved to teach,” cousin Jacqueline Tucker said. “He had a mind that was able to catalog that trivia and then pass it along, appropriately. He had a way with kids where he could take the bits of knowledge he had and make learning easier.’

Mr. Wilms is survived by many cousins in the Frey, Muehlberg, Munger and Tucker families. Funeral services will be at Gerber Chapel, 23 W. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO 63119. Viewing is 3 to 6 pm Tuesday, immediately followed by a service. A private entombment will be at Sunset Memorial Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Carondelet Historical Society.