County of tree: St. Charles County
Location of tree: Civic Center Dr. & Lake St. Louis Blvd., Veterans Memorial Park, Lake St. Louis
Plaque Text:
In Loving Memory of
GILBERT J. STUENKEL
(1944-2013)
BLESSED TO BE AN AMERICAN
PROUD TO HAVE SERVED
U.S. ARMY 1968-1972
"Veteran journalist Gilbert Stuenkel dies
69-year-old had worked at The Topeka Capital-Journal
LAKE ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Gilbert Stuenkel, a veteran journalist with a long career at newspapers in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, has died. He was 69.
"Stuenkel, of Lake St. Louis, Mo., died Friday after a battle with cancer, his wife, Nancy, said.
"Stuenkel was born in Spring Valley, Ill. He began his journalism career at the Commercial-News in Danville, Ill., in 1964, while still in junior college. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.
"After a stint in the Army, Stuenkel joined The Topeka Capital-Journal in 1971, rising to editorial page editor. He left in 1984 to become managing editor of the Hannibal Courier-Post, where he worked until 1995. He was chairman of the Missouri Associated Press Managing Editors in 1986 and 1987.
"In Hannibal, Stuenkel guided the Courier-Post’s coverage of the 1993 flood.
"Stuenkel moved to the St. Louis area in 1995, writing for the St. Louis Business Journal and other publications and working in public relations. He was active in the City of Lake St. Louis Veterans Advisory Committee and was administrator of the Chapel of the Lake food pantry from 2008 to 2011.
"An avid bowler, Stuenkel rolled a perfect game in Palmyra, Mo., in 1990.
"Visitation will be 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Pitman Funeral Home in Wentzville, Mo. A funeral service is 10 a.m. Wednesday at Chapel of the Lake in Lake St. Louis.
"Stuenkel is survived by his wife, son Steven Stuenkel, of Hannibal, daughter Suzanne May, of Spring Hill, Tenn., and seven grandchildren." ~ The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Associated Press, Nov 24, 2013