Gerhard James Petzall

Gerhard J. Petzall passed away on August 12, 2025, at the age of 94. He was born in Magdeburg, Germany, on June 13, 1931, to Erich and Stephanie Petzall. In 1936, his father was forced to flee Germany, and his family followed in 1937, settling in St. Louis, Missouri. Gerhard attended Hamilton Grade School, Soldan High School, and Washington University, from which he received his BA degree in the centennial class in 1953.

With the onset of the Korean War and the ensuing military draft, Gerhard entered the U.S. Army and served honorably for two years. He then earned his law degree from Washington University, graduating with honors, in 1958. He was a founding partner of Guilfoil, Petzall and Shoemake, which became a leading firm in the St. Louis area, with as many as 32 lawyers at its high point. He would go on to practice law until his retirement in 2020 at the age of 89 years. During his professional career, he served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation, its budget committee, and on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Center of the Aged. He was a recipient of the Grosman Award for his services to the Jewish Community.

In 1988, Gerhard met Barbara Speraneo. They were married in 1992, and for 32 years, she was his travel companion, his tireless co-host for years of family brunches, and his partner in crime when it came to spoiling their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In his later years, when chronic pain made it more difficult for him to move around, she became his devoted caretaker.

Gerhard traveled widely around the world. In addition to Europe, he went dogsledding in Greenland, visited the North Pole, and went gorilla trekking in Africa twice: once in Rwanda with his son Guy, then again in Uganda with his wife Barbara. He saw Mount Everest in Nepal, traveled the Silk Road across China and Northern Pakistan, ventured to Irian Jaya in Indonesia; and toured Japan, Mexico, and South America.

Gerhard was a lifelong foodie whose kids used to joke that he would eat “anything but poison and ink.” He completed New York Times crossword puzzles using a green, felt-tip pen. He represented the Arizona Cardinals football team (back when they were in St. Louis) and was a loyal fan forever after. He was also an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and he could recount statistics of baseball through the ages. He was a grammar enthusiast. He loved puns and wordplay and bad jokes, often making his family groan by questioning why we put salt on the road when it snows, but not pepper. He loved his dog, Liberty, so much it was unreal.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara (nee Speraneo); his children, Julie Simpher (Jeff), Jenny Petzall, Gerhard “Guy” Petzall Jr. (Sarah), Erich S Petzall II (Denise), Grant Schraer (Donna), Diane Haselhorst (Steve); his grandchildren, Jamie, Jacob, Jasper, Ben, Kaya, Kepler, Brent (Autumn), Brooke (AJ), Josephine, Genevieve, Wesley, Samantha (Brian), Jared (Sarah); and great-grandchildren, Dexter, Calvin, Brody, and Sloane; as well as his beloved dog, Liberty.

Visitation Sunday August 17 at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Blvd. 63132 from 12-1 PM Funeral Service at 1 PM. Interment Following the Service at United Hebrew Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, consider a contribution to the Humane Society of Missouri.