James L. Held

Held, L. James

passed away on November 8, 2019. Beloved husband of Betty (Meyer) Held. Dearest father of Jon (Karen) Held, Patty Held, Thomas (Andrea) Held, and Julie (Steve) Brandfield. Dear brother of Marilyn Homeister, and dearest grandfather, step grandfather, and great grandfather.

In 1965 James and Betty Held re-opened the Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri. Their success with the winery resulted in a thriving tourism industry in the town of Hermann and the re-emergence of a Midwestern wine industry. James' contributions have been recognized throughout the past four decades. In 1982 President Ronald Reagan awarded Stone Hill Winery Missouri's Small Business of the Year; in 1988 James and Betty received the first Hall of Fame Award from the Missouri Division of Tourism; in 1995 he and Betty were named Wine Growing Family of the Year at the Wineries Unlimited 20th anniversary and also the Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award for entrepreneurship in America; in 1997 the Department of Agriculture's Missouri Grape and Wine Program gave James the Pioneer Award; and in 2014 the University of Missouri bestowed on James an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree for his contributions to the industry and his community.

Services: Visitation will be Thurs, Nov. 14th from 3:00 to 8:00 pm at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, Hermann, MO. Funeral service will be on Fri. at 1:00 pm at St. Paul U.C.C., Hermann. Burial at Hermann Cemetery, with full military honors.