Robert James Veesaert

Robert Veesaert died suddenly at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton on Tuesday, April 28 after having had a cervical spinal fusion to reduce the pain he’d lived with for the last decade.

Robert was born in St. Louis in 1961, a fact he loved to use to start stories he told his children; “It all started back in 1961...” He was born to Marlin and Judy Veesaert and told many stories about growing up in Ladue with his brothers Kirk and Tommy and sisters Patty and Joni.

He married the love of his life, Denise Schwartz and had two beautiful daughters, Danielle and Allison. When he lost Denise suddenly in 2003, he wasn’t sure how he would ever go on. For his girls, he did and eventually found love again in his second wife Gina and her children Charlie and Julia, and what he called our “Brady Bunch Family” came together for a wonderful thirteen years.

Everything Robert did was for his family. He loved being a dad, loved helping the kids celebrate the good times and help navigate the trials of life, with goofy humor, funny faces and silly dances. He loved everything guitars, frequently playing us parts of songs. He always said he couldn’t sit still long enough to learn the whole song, so he just “played the good parts.”

His work will live on in the scores of guitars he refinished to perfection for his clients at Lapidary Dreams, and his infinite love will live on in the hearts and memories of his family.