Wilbur Baxter Kern

Wilbur Baxter Kern of Fulton, Missouri, formerly of Lake St. Louis, passed away on Friday, August 26th, 2011, at the age of 101, while residing at Presbyterian Manor of Fulton, Missouri. Funeral services will be held Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 12:00 AM at the Baue Funeral Home, 3950 W. Clay, St. Charles, Missouri. Friends will be received before the service from 11:00 A.M. until the time of service. Interment will follow at Laurel Hills Memorial Gardens, 2000 N. Pennsylvania Ave., St. Louis, Missouri. Wilbur was born August 16, 1910, in Enid, Oklahoma, the son of the late Jerome W. Kern and Christina (Brand) Blackwell. On August 21st, 1932 he was united in marriage to Mary Adele (Kelpe) Kern who preceded him in death on March 19, 2002. Wilbur lived his adult life in the St. Louis area. He was a member of the Lathers Union Local 73 in St. Louis. He worked on numerous W.P.A. projects including the construction of the simulated rock boulders at the St. Louis Zoo. He also worked for a number of years as a general contractor and was employed by the University of Missouri as a building inspector at the UMSL Campus in later years. One of his most rewarding jobs was when he helped with the construction of his church, The Chapel of the Lake, in Lake St. Louis, where he lived for twenty some years. He will always be remembered for his great love of gardening and fishing. Wilbur is survived by his three children, David Kern, and wife, Jan, of Fulton, MO, Marilyn (Kern) Heady, and husband, Mark, of Marthasville, MO, and Gary Kern of St. Charles, MO; five grandchildren, Jerry Kern, Karen Kern Grell, Jim Kern, Kelly Lemp, and Judy Woodworth; seven great grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter. Memorials may be made to the Chapel of the Lake, 11000 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Lake St. Louis, MO 63367 or c/o Baue Funeral Home or to the charity of the donor's choice.