June Pauline Schlueter (nee Southard)

Schlueter, June Pauline (nee Southard), baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection, Friday, October 20, 2017. Dear wife of the late Walter J. Schlueter. Dear mother of Joseph Schlueter, Paula (Jim) Ross, Connie (Charles) Kempf, Roger (Terry) Schlueter and John (Cathy) Schlueter. Dear grandmother of Kelsey (Tom) Cardwell, Hannah (Ross) Pfeifer, Dylan Ross, Justin (Julie) Kempf, Rachel (Nick Toti) Kempf, Courtney Schlueter, Sarah, Jessica and Erica Schlueter. Dear great-grandmother of Isaac, Elliott and Cooper. Dear sister of Muriel Kelley of Cape Girardeau, Mo.

When I think about my grandmother, June Pauline Schlueter, the memory that stands out most is the time she taught me how to put together a jigsaw puzzle.
She patiently explained to me how you had to put the edges together first because they create a space where the rest of the pieces can find their perfect fit.
Much like those all-important edge pieces, June Pauline - or Pauline, as she was called by her family - always found a way to bring together all the different people in her life, and to make each one of us feel at home by creating a special place where all our different ridges, curves, and edges could fit.
The seventh-born in a family of eight children, her siblings were Eugene, the twins Howard and Herman, her only sister Muriel, Elmer, Willard, and Carl. She was particularly close to Willard, who according to family lore, refused to start school unless his younger sister was allowed to go with him. So Pauline started school a year early, and the two of them went together from then on.
She always tried to see the positive side of things and loved to laugh, a quality that drew the attention of Walter Schlueter, a jokester with a kind heart and an impeccable sense of humor. They began dating and in 1947, they snuck out of their family homes in the middle of the night, drove a borrowed car to Arkansas, and got married.
Walt and Pauline were married for sixty-five years and were blessed with six children-Joe, Paula, Connie, Roger, John, a baby girl, who was stillborn-and nine grandchildren.
For their large family, Pauline and Walter created a space where everyone was always welcome. They went camping and fishing with us, and entertained guests at home with games (jarts, volleyball, and the Family Feud board game were favorites), laughter, and of course-food.
A cook in the cafeteria at Webster Groves High for many years, Pauline loved to bake, and made a legendary potato soup, dill dip, tacos, chiffon cake, and lemon-meringue pie. We had real, brewed iced tea with almost every meal - so good that her son John once sent his iced tea back five times at Red Lobster because it “wasn’t as good as mother’s.”
But most of all, she made certain that each member of the family was taken care of. At all times she made sure that anyone who might come to visit had their food made exactly how they liked it: cheesecake with and without cherries on top, real bacon and turkey bacon, nine types of cookies at Christmas, and half a dozen different kinds of soda in the fridge to ensure each grandkid always had their favorite.
Following Walter’s death five years ago, Pauline moved to Meramec Bluffs, where she fretted over what to offer visitors, and loved to talk - pretty much incessantly! - to anyone who stopped by. This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether or not you wanted to hear the TV, which was almost always set to The Game Show Network.
Never one to be shy, she made several close friends at Meramec, including Jody, Ellen, and Carol, played bingo up to three times a week, and had no problem yelling for what she wanted, earning the nickname “The Godfather,” partly because of her tendency to tell everyone what to do.
June Pauline Schlueter was remembered by her family as a good cook with a definite sweet tooth, strong, funny, easy to talk to, a little bit stubborn, and full of unconditional love for all her friends and relatives, each of whom she made a special place for, and each of whom had a deep and special love for her in return.
And really, in this life, what more could a mother want?
(By Rachel Kempf)

Services: Funeral service at Meramec Bluffs Chapel, Ballwin, Friday, 10:00 a.m. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. If desired, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Visitation at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Thursday 4-7 p.m., then on Friday from 9-10 a.m. at Meramec Bluffs Chapel. Friends may sign the family's online guestbook at Schrader.com.