Gebke Cornelia St. John

Gebke “Eppie” Cornelia (van Wageningen) St. John, 82, passed away peacefully on November 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving family, following a courageous battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Eppie was born on September 16, 1944, in Caracas, Venezuela. During her childhood, her family temporarily relocated to the Netherlands before returning to Venezuela and eventually emigrating to the United States in 1957. They settled in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, where Eppie finished her high school years and attended St. Elizabeth’s Academy in Convent Station, New Jersey.

She married Stephen Alexander St. John, and together they began raising their family. Their journey took them from New Jersey to Seal Beach, California, then to Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, before making Jacksonville, Florida, their permanent home in 1972.

Eppie began her professional life as a bank teller before dedicating herself to raising her four children. Once her children were grown, she returned to college to pursue her passion for education, earning her degree and becoming an elementary school teacher at Bayview Elementary School in Jacksonville, where she remained

until her retirement.

Throughout her retirement years, Eppie enjoyed traveling with friends and former colleagues, reading, and,

most importantly, spending cherished time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Family was always at the heart of her life, and the memories she created with those she loved will be treasured for generations.

Eppie is survived by her four children, Cristina Eckstein Brundick (Mark), James Alexander St. John, Edward Gerrit St. John (Jennifer), and Michael Randall St. John (Stacia); her grandchildren, Alix Eckstein Perry (Austin), John Andrew Eckstein, Abigail StJohn, Emma St. John, Ansley St.John Coles, Gerrit St. John and Catherine St. John; and her four great-grandchildren, Reid, Olivia, and Stella Perry and Hadley Coles. She is also survived by her brothers, Henry Jacob van Wageningen (Edith) of Houston, Texas, and George Pieter van Wageningen (Karyl) of Phoenix, Arizona.

She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Gerrit Jakob van Wageningen and Enriqueta Ignacia Bracho Lossada.

A memorial service celebrating Eppie’s life will be held on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., at Oaklawn Chapel & Gardens, 4801 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial contributions be made in loving memory of Gebke Cornelia “Eppie” St. John to The ALS Association at als.org/donate or to Mayo Clinic’s ALS Research Program in Jacksonville, Florida, under the direction of Bjorn Oskarsson, M.D. Both organizations were tremendous sources of inspiration, hope, and support throughout Eppie’s courageous battle with this heartbreaking disease. Your thoughtful contribution will honor her memory while helping

advance vital research and bring hope to other individuals and families facing ALS.

Eppie will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever cherished by all whose lives she touched.