Joel David Monson

Monson, Joel David

Born on Lincoln's birthday, February 12th, 1932, in Fargo, North Dakota, Joel and his mother Marie moved to St. Louis when his three older brothers and father went off to serve in WWII. From that point forward, Joel became a lifelong fan of both the city and the Cardinals (with a boxful of playoff and World Series ticket stubs to prove it). After a classic St. Louis education (Clayton High School, undergraduate and law degrees from Washington University) Joel had a long career, primarily as a medical malpractice defense trial attorney. He kept his strategic skills sharp by playing poker with friends nearly every Friday night of his adult life. Lucky in love, he enjoyed two successful marriages. The first to Nancy Richter, from 1958 until her death in 1985, where he is survived by their two sons Joel II and Jeff and their grandchildren Teddy, Annie and William. The second to Marilyn Babler Evans, from 1989 until her death in 2020, where he is survived by Marilyn's children Sally (Cook) and Eric and step-grandchildren Andrew, Alex, Emily and EJ. Joel was an exceptionally kind man and you could always find him in any size crowd by following the sound of his frequent and exuberant laugh.