Henry Hirsh Stern Jr.

Henry Hirsh Stern, Jr., 88, of Clayton, MO, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 25th, 2026. Born in St. Louis, MO, September 18th, 1937, Henry was defined by his intense zest for life in every way, his commitment to family and friends, work in tax & corporate law, passion for travel and love of the Cardinals.

Henry Hirsh Stern, Jr. and Karen Kosky Stern were married for 62 years. In all these wonderful years, Henry aka ‘Big Daddy’ would start each day telling Karen, “Life with you is super-terrific and I’m lucky.”

Henry excelled at Country Day School (Class of ‘55), Amherst College (Class of ‘59), and then at University of Chicago Law School (Class of ‘62) where he was on the Law Review, inducted into the Order of the Coif and graduated 1st in his class. Henry practiced law with his father Henry H. Stern and then founded Popkin & Stern law firm. He finished his career as a partner at Lewis Rice. Henry was passionate about his work and derived great satisfaction from his mentorship of new graduates entering the legal profession.

Henry enjoyed time spent at Westwood Country Club throughout his life. He served as president of WWCC, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father.

Henry was a devoted husband and father. His three sons, Terry, Trip, and Jeffrey could count on Henry to enthusiastically cheer them on at every Bombers’ sporting game, always with his trusty Time Magazine in his back pocket. Henry was highly invested in his sons’ overall success in life.

Henry is survived by his adoring wife, Karen, their three sons, Terence Henry Stern (Ruth L. Lederman), Henry Hirsh Stern III (Susan Stern), Jeffrey Evan Stern (Amy Stern), and grandchildren Riva Stern, Alexandra Stern Harris (Matthew Harris), Samantha Stern, Julia Stern, Olivia Stern and Ava Stern.

Henry was preceded in death by his father, Henry Hirsh Stern, mother Evelyn Barkhouse Stern, sister Nancy Steiner, brother-in-law Charles Steiner, father-in-law Marvin Kosky, mother-in-law Joyce Kosky, and his brother-in-law Robert Kosky.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, April 28th at 1 PM at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Boulevard. Please see below for Live Stream and other details.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to JFS - Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry (jfsstl.org) or NCJW - National Council of Jewish Women (ncjwstl.org) or a charity of your choice.