John Charles Schnellmann, 77, of St. Charles, Mo., died Jan. 13, 2023. He is survived by Teresa Schnellmann, his wife of 21 years; two brothers, Lewis Schnellmann of Oracle, Ariz., and Donald Schnellmann of St. Louis; two children, Joni Goodrich of Thomson, Ga., and Joe Schnellmann of Johnson City, Tenn., and their mother, Jeanette; two step-daughters, Lisa Selligman (Glen) of St. Louis, Mo., and Anita Sims (Matt) of Dana Point, Calif.; eight grandchildren, Matthew, Sarah, Galen, Lillian, Jake, Lucy, Kyla, and Juno; three great-grandchildren; and a beloved cousin, Robert Bobbitt (Heather).

He was born Jan. 3, 1946, in St. Louis, to Charles and Patricia Schnellmann, who preceded him in death.

John retired after more than 25 years working in communications for the Internal Revenue Service in Florida, Washington D.C., and St. Louis, and earlier was publisher of the Moose Lake Star Gazette in Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia and served in Army Intelligence during the Vietnam war.

John and his wife loved to travel and dance. He enjoyed playing a variety of instruments – piano, guitar, flute, and harmonica – and drafted several novels. Mostly he expressed himself through illuminations, figurative sculpture, and paintings. He used a variety of media, including glass, ceramic, light, metal, prints, oil, and acrylic. https://artbyschnellmann.com

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Blaze STL (blazestl.org), which provides ceramic craft activities for disabled individuals.