Milton Edward STOHS

Milton Edward Stohs passed away peacefully on the morning of Dec. 12, 2022. He was born in the small farming community of St. Paul, Illinois, on July 27, 1929. He attended St. Paul’s College in Concordia, Missouri, from 1942-48, where he met his wife of 70 years, Carol, whose father was an English professor at the College. After graduating from Concordia Seminary in 1953, they spent the next 11 years serving congregations and starting a family in Brevard County, Florida, and Gadsden, Alabama. In 1964 they moved to St. Louis, where he was called to serve as the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and subsequently became the Executive Director of Lutheran Ministries Association. For the next 30 years he devoted his career to serving the poor and confined, providing chaplaincy services to St. Louis city and county jails, hospitals, and nursing homes; developing ombudsman programs for those same institutions; and creating ministries of support for inmates’ families and ex-offenders. A passionate supporter of social justice causes, he was involved with numerous organizations including Missourians Against the Death Penalty, the Missouri Coalition for Alternatives to Imprisonment, the Missouri Association of Social Welfare, and the Good Samaritan Service Center for the Homeless. He treated everyone he met with dignity and respect, including the many jail inmates and ex-offenders that he befriended over the years. He radiated warmth and acceptance and never raised his voice or spoke ill of others, even those with whom he strongly disagreed. Milton was a great listener with a legendary ability to connect with people from all walks of life. A loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he enjoyed family time, gardening, playing tennis, and watching sports and music performances, especially those involving his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered most as a man of a million smiles, a contagious laugh, and a compassionate heart. We will love and miss him forever. Milton was preceded in death by his mother and father, George and Lorina Stohs, and his beloved brothers and sister-in-law, Leonard and Reuben (Jayne). He is survived by his wife Carol, his brother Eugene (Anita), his sister-in-law Shirley, his children Carolyn (Bob), Stephen (Joanne), Miriam, and Jennifer, his grandchildren Rachel (Scott), Alisa, Alexandra, Benjamin (Kaylie), Luke, Cameron, and Daniel, and his great-grandchildren Peyton and Mila, as well as many nieces, nephews, and their children. A memorial service is scheduled for December 28, 2022, at 10:30 am, with music provided by Stephen and Joanne Stohs beginning at 10:15 am. Due to space constraints and the on-going flu/covid season, in-person attendance is limited to family, close friends, and Breeze Park residents. A recording of the memorial service held on Dec. 28 can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ox94ymjEE A Celebration of Life is planned for 2023, and information about that event will also be posted at a later date. The family asks that tribute donations be made to Humanitri at www.humanitri.org or the Lutheran Senior Services Benevolent Care Fund (www.lssliving.org/give-online).

Milton Edward STOHS

July 27, 1929 - December 12, 2022