John Earnest Climer of St. Louis, MO left us peacefully while surrounded by his family on December 26, 2024, just 3 days shy of his 77th birthday. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to many, John will be remembered for his love of animals, kindness to everyone he knew, sense of humor, and uncanny ability to dominate in board games.

Born on December 29, 1947, in St. Louis, MO, to Muriel Verona (Mansel) and Ernest Haag Bibler. John grew up with his older brother, Tom (Carol) Climer and younger sister, Barb (Gerry) Schoemehl who were all raised by their mother and adoptive father Leslie Royce Climer. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1971. John married Sharlee Renee Climer (nee Reamey) in 1976 and together they raised 5 kids: Shawna (Joseph Ploch) Climer, Stacey (Craig) Johnson, John (Adrienne Hoffman) Climer, Cindy (Patrick) Vigueira, and Greg (Brittany Rader) Climer. He is survived by his siblings, wife, children, and 17 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son-in-law Joe Ploch, his parents, and far too many friends.

John had several careers, as varied as an unpaid lumberjack, making mattresses for Serta, buying used cars, and as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor for the State of Missouri. His last was as a dedicated handyman for many years, maintaining and renewing his mother’s rental properties. After work, he enjoyed time with his mom sitting on her front porch. He had a knack for fixing just about anything and could commonly get a motor to work only for him. In retirement, he filled his time with daily, long walks with his dogs, collecting treasures from the alley, exploring the US, Canada, and Europe with his wife, and working on his massive model train collection. He was generous with his time and possessions; he often had several options of anything a person could want or need, although most were partially broken. His legendary sense of humor was ever present, lovingly teasing those around him, especially his wife and kids. He was a true animal lover; his dogs and grandpets knew it well. John always had a soft spot for shelter dogs, and many orphaned hamsters, squirrels, rabbits, and birds found sanctuary in his gentle hands. In lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider a donation to an animal shelter or sanctuary.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on February 2, 2025 1-4pm at The Leona, 5700 Leona Street, St. Louis, MO 63116.