John J. Staggenborg

John was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1942, to the late Joseph & Emma (nee Nolte) Staggenborg. He is preceded in death by his brother, William (Verna) Staggenborg and his grandson, Andrew Staggenborg.

John is survived by his wife of 61 years, Judy (nee Meyer) Staggenborg; his children, Timothy (Kim) Staggenborg of Manchester, Missouri; Jennifer Staggenborg (fiancé Will Chapin) of High Ridge, Missouri; grandchildren, Mira and Grant Staggenborg; and sister, Kathryn (the late Bud) Murray of Arnold, Missouri.

John was a Tool & Die Maker. He began his career at Carter Carburetor, where he worked for 16 years. He retired from Anheuser Busch, where he worked for 19 years. He served as a proud member of The United States Army National Guard.

John was an outdoorsman, a hunter and a cattleman. He enjoyed being at his farm in Gasconade County, Missouri, where he raised cattle.

He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Imperial, Missouri.

SERVICES: Visitation 4-8pm Friday, January 9, 2026 at Heiligtag-Lang-Fendler Funeral Home 1081 Jeffco Blvd., Arnold, Missouri. Please meet in time for 10am Mass Saturday, January 10, 2026 directly at St. Joseph Catholic Church 6020 Old Antonia Rd., Imperial, Missouri. Interment to follow in Shepherd Hills Cemetery. Masses preferred.

The Legacy of John Staggenborg

John W. Brown

For those of you whom I haven’t met yet, my name is John Brown. I am married to Teresa and John was her uncle. And so, he was my uncle too. I married into this family, so it is a great honor that I have been asked to speak here today.

I’ll be honest, I had a lot of anxiety about what to say today. I didn’t know John as well as most of you here. We had some great conversations over the years. But that was not at the level of all the times you all spent with him. But I was around him enough to know he was a good man. So, I wanted to make sure that I honored his life and that my words are an adequate reflection of how so many of you remember him.

As I was thinking and praying about what I was going to say today during our flight, suddenly a sense of calm came over me. You see, I often make the joke that the only time we get to see each other as adults is when we are at funerals. And in that moment, I began to look at today differently.

Yes, it is true that as we get so busy with our own families and lives, that we often don’t get to spend as much time around other important people in our lives. Yet here we are, at a funeral with the people who mean the most to us. That voice said to me, “Isn’t it a blessing to be able to see all your loved ones in one place?”

First, we get to celebrate the life of the person we are here for.

Secondly, we probably wouldn’t see each other at all if it weren’t for these moments.

So, my little joke about funerals ended up being the best thing that has come to my mind in a long time. Yes, we are here to mourn and remember John. But we are also here to celebrate. Celebrate that he is finally getting to see his family members once again who have gone before him. He is getting to see his father. He is spending the day with his mother. He now has time to go hunting with Dale once again. They are sitting in some heavenly deer stand and being forced to finally be honest about all their hunting tales.

The men of the family asked me once -- when Teresa and I first met… if I wanted to go hunting with them.

I asked, “Is it cold?

They said “yes.”

So, I said “no.”

Which explains why we live in Florida. But now I wish I had gone with them that weekend to get to know them a little better and to know what they are talking about today.

You see, today isn’t only about mourning. Today is also about showing Aunt Judy that she has an amazing support system around her. Today is about showing Tim and Jen that they have all these people around them who love them. Today is letting the grandkids know what kind of man their grandfather was. When you look around, everyone is here because they love this family. That is something to celebrate.

So here is how I approached today. When high profile members of the community pass away, I often have to call their families to see how they want their loved ones to be remembered on the news. That is exactly what I did with Uncle John. I talked with friends and family to make sure I got this right.

Here is what we can learn from the life of John Staggenborg.

John was the kind of man you want on your side. He was loyal, smart, a hard worker, and steadfast. Jen and I talked about that this week about his character, and we couldn’t come up with the right word to describe him. Then she sent me the word “steadfast.”

Steadfast means “a person who is loyal, firm, and unwavering in their beliefs, purpose, or support… like a pillar that doesn’t move.”

Remember that last part, “a pillar that doesn’t move.”

What I mean by steadfast is he is the kind of man where you knew what to expect. Which is incredibly reassuring these days.

Steadfast means meeting the love of your life in first grade, marrying that person when you graduate from high school, and then staying married for 61 years. Steadfast means working your butt off until you retire at age 59. Steadfast means meeting friends at those jobs, and getting together with them and their spouses on Labor Day for 52 years in a row. Steadfast means taking care of the people you love -- even when it’s difficult at times.

Uncle John was the kind of guy who’d could fix anything… or most anything. Tim tells me that his wife Kim bought a cheap manual can opener and pepper grinder and asked John to fix them. Of course, he said yes. But the problem was… he couldn’t fix them. So, what did he do? He bought her new ones every Christmas for 15 years. Now that is steadfast -- with a sense of humor.

Steadfast means that when you tell people you are going to do something that they might as well chisel that in stone because it was going to happen. Steadfast means putting everything back in its place when you are done so you know where it is the next time you need it. Have you ever seen his garage? I thought there had to be something wrong with him, because I know how my garage looks. I asked my wife, “does he have OCD?” She just laughed and said, “no that’s just Uncle John."

How would you like to have that reputation? Everything is in perfect order and people say, “that is just the way he is.”

Steadfast is standing side-by-side with your wife, for better or worse, for 61 years. When I saw Uncle John and Aunt Judy, it was nothing but laughter and smiles. I know it wasn’t all roses. No relationship is. But I know I will always remember him being by your side with a smile.

I asked Tim and Jen what made him happy. It was always the same answer; spending time on the farm, cutting wood, riding the tractor, fixing things, and just being there.

The kids said they have such great memories of their dad and just being in his presence. When you are a kid, quiet times with your dad can seem boring. But as we get older we realize those are the best of times. There doesn’t have to be a trip to France, a day at a theme park, or anything else. One-on-one road trips and days spent with just the two of you together are the best. Those are the moments you truly see the man. Those are the moments that made you what you are today.

Tim said “I just wanted to be with him -- no matter what we were doing.” It is sometimes the most basics things in life that seem the best as we get older.

Jen told me similar things. Those times on the farm were the best. And when it’s a daughter and dad, then it is different. I’m sure with Tim, it was making sure he was ready to use the chain saw correctly or being able to fix the mower. But as a dad of daughters, I understand this. Your job as a dad with daughters is also to prepare them for the world, while also protecting them --no matter what.

Jen says that when she was younger, every picture of them she was in his arms, or she was riding on his back with her arms around his neck. That was not by mistake. A good dad knows how important it is to be with your daughter, not just to be around your daughter. And there is a difference.

Research shows that a father's influence on his daughter's is more vital to her success than most people realize. His uncompromising love for her shapes her self-esteem, her self-image, her confidence and how she views other men.

A good dad is more than a protector. He is the one setting that little girl up for success. So those piggyback rides were not just fun. They were the most important things that he could do for your eventual happiness. That is a good dad.

Jen also told me that her dad was her first “acro-yoga” partner. I’m sure it scared the heck out of Judy when he tossed her off cliffs into the water, let her swim too far away, or let her drive when she was way too young. That’s what dads are supposed to do… scare the moms.

In fact, during the great snowstorm of 1982, when he finally got home from work, he got to stay home for a few days. And so, they dragged out the sleds and played in the snow for days. For him, that was a couple of days off work. But for the kids, those are some of the best days of their lives. Isn’t it funny that decades later these are the things that they remember. That’s because love is often spelled T-I-M-E.

And I also learned about his grandparenting skills. Tim tells me that he only saw his dad cry a few times in life. One of those was when Tim and Kim came home from adopting Mira and Grant. The grandkids called him PawPaw. And there is one thing we all know about grandparents; they change in strange ways. They soften. They might have been strict and stern with their own kids, but somehow become the softest and most fun people ever as grandparents.

Here is an example of how people change. Only a few people here know this. He sang two songs with the grandkids. One was Whisky River by Willie Nelson. And Funky Town… by the group Lipps, Inc.

Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me

Town to keep me movin', keep me groovin' with some energy

Well, I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it

Gotta move on

Won't you take me to Funkytown?

Now that’s a good grandpa.

One more story to show how he had changed over time was when telemarketers would call. They tell me early in life he might have gotten mad and hung up. But not this time. The telemarketer called asked if he wanted to buy windows.

John asked his name.

“Larry, ” the caller replied.

“Larry, I don’t want to buy your windows, but I have a coon dog that I need to sell. Are you interested in buying a coon dog to take it off my hands.”

Click. Problem solved… with a little bit of humor and kindness.

1There is a phrase that I love. It says… “you can tell a lot about a person by what they are doing when nobody else is looking.” Jen told me this story. As we know, Uncle John was a devout Catholic. One Good Friday she got to hang out with him at the farm. It was noon and she was off doing her own thing. But when she came around the corner, she saw him kneeling and praying. He had no idea she was watching. It didn’t matter. He was simply doing what he was supposed to be doing, no matter if someone was watching or not.

That is how you make an impact on others. You don’t have to preach at them or tell them what to do. Your actions have a bigger impact on others than any sermon could ever have.

I’ll leave you with this. Remember the word we used earlier to describe John. “Steadfast. A person who is loyal, firm, and unwavering in their beliefs, purpose, or support… like a pillar that doesn’t move.”

Do you know what the word Staggenborg means?

If you look at many genealogy sites, most say that it means something along the lines of “stone hill” or “rock hill.” Jen did some research and found a definition from the area of Germany where the family comes from, Staggenborg means something along the lines of Stag Fortress.

One version I found was… stone fortress.

A stone fortress. Maybe that explains it all. A man who spent is life taking care of his family and making sure everything was okay.

A man from a hill that you can look up to.

A man like a rock… where his word is his bond.

If that doesn’t sum up the life of John Staggenborg, I’m not sure what else does.