Charles Kretschman

Life of Charles G. Kretschman BORN: July 22, 1919 in St. Louis, MO DIED: September 2, 2018 in St. Louis, MO MARRIAGES: Esther V. Martin (1940 - 2006) Janelle G. Boyce (2007 - 2011) FAMILY: Oldest child of Charles J. and Helen Kretschman (nee Gander) Brother of Arlyne H. Klouzek (Ralph) Brother of Melvin H. Kretschman (Shirley) (Arline) Brother of Joyce J. Frenzel (August 'Gus') Charlie started working in 1936 at Pevely Dairy on Grand and Chouteau in the Ice Cream Dept., and became a connoisseur of ice cream loving only the best. Although only a teenager at the time, he was very devoted to his family and signed over every paycheck to his mother. Soon after high school graduation, Charlie began courting Esther Martin, a lovely young lady he met through the American Legion. In September 1940, Charlie received a promotion and within a few days Charlie and Esther were married rather secretly at the court house. From 1940 until 1942, Charlie continued working at Pevely Dairy as a milk driver. For the first 6 months, he completed his route near Forest Park via horse and wagon, and then progressing to a truck when the horse became unruly. In 1942, Charlie started working with his step father-in-law, Al Karches at A K Auto on Lemay Ferry Rd. and Bayless. In 1962, he purchased the entire business from Al Karches and took the business to a higher level with the ability to service automobiles with air conditioning in the 1960s and catalytic converters in the mid-1970s. On February 1, 1982, Charlie sold A K Auto and retired. Unfortunately, in late 2008 the business was destroyed by fire and was torn down soon following. While Charlie and Esther had no children of their own, they enjoyed countless hours of happiness with their nephews and nieces. They also enjoyed camping and traveling across the country - initially with a pop-up trailer. Over the years they progressed to a large full-size RV. Once retired, Charlie and Esther became 'snowbirds' and lived 6 months of the year in Apache Junction, AZ. They were fortunate to travel to Canada and Hawaii, and other countries including Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, China and Italy. In addition to traveling, Charlie also enjoyed bowling. Throughout the years, Charlie became an avid bowler (bowling at least one perfect 300 game) and sponsored many bowling teams. In his later years, he became extremely active in Wii Bowling - even bowling many 300 games. Charlie also enjoyed fishing, making stained glass art, and watching the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2000, Charlie & Esther moved to Garden Villas South on Tesson Ferry Rd. While there, Charlie and Esther were very active residents including volunteering as guest hosts, card cart duty, and set-up for many special holiday events. Additionally, Charlie served for several years as the President of the Residents Council. Sadly, after 65 years of being happily married to Esther, she became ill in February 2005 and passed away in May 2006. Loneliness was not for Charlie. Another chance at happiness became evident in the spring of 2007 when Charlie met Janelle. Charlie was once again so happy to have found such a beautiful lady. On September 29, 2007, Charlie, age 88 and Janelle Boyce, age 81 were married. They traveled to the Panama Canal for their honeymoon. They also enjoyed traveling to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi to visit family and friends. Sadly, their happy time together was cut short when Janelle passed away in May 2011. Charlie continued to enjoy much happiness with his newly acquired 'bonus' family. In July 2011, Charlie's sister Arlyne moved to Garden Villas to share the same apartment. They enjoyed companionship with one another until she was unable to live independently with her brother. Due to illness, Arlyne moved to a nursing facility, and Charlie downsized to a smaller apartment where he lived until his passing. September 07, 2018
03:00 pm - 08:00 pm
John L. Ziegenhein & Sons South County Chapel
4830 Lemay Ferry Road
September 08, 2018
10:00 am -
John L. Ziegenhein & Sons South County Chapel
4830 Lemay Ferry Road