Ethel (Loesche) Thierry of Florissant, MO passed away peacefully on Friday, May 31,  2024, at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis after a short illness. She was 97.  

The key to Ethel’s long life was, of course, family. Born in St. Louis on January 16, 1927,  to the late Edward and Dora (Kumke) Loesche, Ethel was the eighth of ten siblings. That made wartime rationing tough, she remembered, but it also meant lots of companions to sing, dance, and skate with. She and her siblings always found time for joy, even as her  brother was drafted to fight in the Second World War. She spoke fondly of her girlhood and liked to boast that FDR was just one of the presidents that she saw speak in her hometown.  

Family was the key, but good beer and great times helped, too. Coming of age as a St. Louisan in the years following Prohibition, Ethel always said that she wanted to be a Budweiser girl. In a way, she was: Like many Cardinals fans in her generation, she cheered as her team took home World Series titles at Busch I, II, and III. But Ethel  settled for dancing, and she spent her Friday nights jitterbugging to the big bands at  Tune Town. Back then, all the guys asked her to dance. Only one stole her heart. She met Dwight “Bob” Thierry aboard the Admiral after his return from combat in Europe. Ethel and Bob got engaged at a Flyers hockey game in the Arena and later wed on  August 23, 1952.  

Years as a proud wife to Bob and a loving mother to Robyn and Craig followed, as did  Bob’s death in 1976. She embarked on her own career at Employers Insurance Company  of Wausau soon after, counting Cardinals, Blues, and Steamers wins and keeping up  with her favorite musicians—by now Willie Nelson, Cat Stevens, and John Lennon— until the birth of her grandchildren, Evan and Max. Ethel would wish us to point out that she loved spoiling her grandsons for the past two and a half decades; her grandsons would agree. She also cared deeply for her longtime Florissant neighbors and friends and was the original and only owner of her home for the last 70 years. Home was never  home without a pet dog by her side.  

Ethel is survived by her daughter, Robyn (Thierry) Gude and husband Greg; son, Craig  Thierry and wife Merry; grandchildren Evan and Max Thierry; sister-in-law Norma  Loesche; and numerous nieces, nephews, family, and friends. Ethel was preceded in  death by her husband, parents, and siblings.  

She was dearly loved, and she will be dearly missed.  

A private burial ceremony will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery with a family celebration of life to follow.  

Memorial donations may be made in Ethel’s name toCardinal Glennon Children’s  Hospital, the Missouri Humane Society, or a charity of the donor’s choice.