Final Salute

Staples, Jr., John Auten, Oct. 17, 1923 – Aug. 1, 2025. It is with much sadness and love in our hearts that we, the children of John Auten Staples Jr., share news of his death; a man of great integrity who lived life with unconscious honesty and graciousness.

After moving from New Jersey to St. Louis County as a teenager, he graduated from Iowa State University with a mechanical engineering degree.  With WWII in full campaign and being part of the V12 program in college, he subsequently completed OTC and was commissioned in the U.S. Navy activated as an officer in the Seabees.

As with many men of The Greatest Generation, the military was a significant influence on our father’s professional career; it helped fine tune his innate managerial skills. That professional life spanned well over 40 years with two major companies in the copper tubing industry.  Touching almost every area related to tubing, rod and fittings production, senior management and ownership consistently appreciated his ability to improve output, efficiency and morale without changing staff or workforce.  Not a simple process but Dad knew how to look, see, and listen. He was greatly respected and inspired universal loyalty.

From our father we all learned to respect and value people as well as the merits of a good marriage.  The love and respect between our parents taught us every day what a family was and could be — how to step up and when to step back — a wonderful example to watch.

Love of reading, predominantly nonfiction, played an important role in Dad’s life outside his profession.  Our home was filled with hundreds and hundreds of books, all of which he had read and could summarize as needed.  Kirkwood Public Library was a resource he valued and availed himself of throughout.  Much of his professional and personal correspondence was supplemented by a thread of reference to books read or currently reading.  As a result, we are readers too and are rarely caught in line or office wait without a book in hand.  We cannot thank Wolfner Library enough for allowing Dad to continue enjoying books as his eyesight diminished; they helped keep his world unlimited.

Mother and Dad were fortunate upon returning to Kirkwood to find the perfect retirement location in a lovely small neighborhood.  The friendships formed during the last years were especially important after our mother died.  They helped Dad through many small emergencies and fortified him by taking the time to chat and converse both in situ and on his daily walks.  Thank you so much for enriching his life.

It was important to Dad to play “good” bridge. Living through 101 years, he played in many groups. The friendship, the teasing, the sincerity of those individuals was immeasurable to him. Thank you.

We hope Dad is now at peace with his wife of 50 plus years, Nancy, and his eldest son, our brother, John Daniel.  He is survived by his children Jane, Anne and John William; grandchildren John Christopher, David, John Thomas, and Martha; as well as two great grandchildren.  By way of Shakespeare, “…Good night sweet prince.  May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…”

A remembrance is planned for Fall 2025 and will be communicated.