Joseph Bernard Galkowski, 84, of Ballwin, MO, passed away peacefully on Friday, May
9, 2025. Joe (Sonny) was the treasured son of the late Stanley and Helen (Walczyk)
Galkowski and loving brother to Judie (Larry) Stahl and the late Jane (John) Gerdes .
He was born in St. Louis on January 3, 1941 and grew up surrounded by his beloved
parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. He proudly attended and
graduated from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis MO.

Joe was richly blessed with the love of his life, his beautiful wife of 60 years, Virginia
(Ginnie) nee Robinson. They met the first weekend of college at Northeast Missouri
State University (now Truman University – Kirksville, MO) in 1961. He enjoyed every
moment at school, especially his time as a member of the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity.
Soon after graduation Joe and Ginnie married on August 14, 1965. Together they
created their cherished family – Gina (Andrew) Hampe , Joseph (Carolyn) Galkowski,
and Jennifer (Matthew) Schuckman. The years were filled with incredible moments, big
and small, that intertwined to shape a beautiful life – family vacations in Florida, Lake of
the Ozarks, and beyond; countless games of Horse (he always won); Sundays at
church and breakfast at Denny’s; weekends, holidays and more boating and fishing at
Terre Du Lac; a never-ending stream of games and meets across baseball, softball,
basketball, volleyball, soccer, and swimming; baseball and football Cardinals games in
the old Busch Stadium and so, so much more.

Joe loved being part of a large family and relished his time with them – Mom and Dad,
sisters and cousins, in-laws and outlaws, nieces and nephews he loved like his own,
aunts and uncles, forever friends, neighbors, colleagues and fellow parishioners. No one was ever left out – the more the merrier. The people he cherished most were his
world, and he never failed to demonstrate his love, pride and devotion.
Joe’s greatest source of pride and most precious gifts were his remarkable
grandchildren – Madeline Quoss, Stephanie Quoss, Mary Galkowski, Zachary Quoss,
Jack Galkowski, Nathan Schuckman, Ava Hampe, Gillian Hampe and Wyatt
Schuckman. This extraordinary, talented new generation filled Papa Joe’s heart with
love and adoration.

Joe was a prolific writer, beautifully capturing in prose what few could ever do.
Recently he took pen to paper to share his thoughts on Family Legacy…

What is a person’s legacy? A person’s legacy is the mark he/she leaves on the world
based on his/her accomplishments, impact on others, good deeds, sharing resources,
values and stories. Our family legacy encompasses all of these virtues. Our family
legacy is the weaving together of strong threads of life. Threads through medicine, law,
education, science, business entrepreneurs, corporate pilots and athletics. Combined,
these threads have woven together a beautiful family legacy that will perpetuate for
decades. I have been privileged to know and love the many who contribute to our
proud legacy.

Joe’s funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, June 7 at 1:00 pm at Christ, Prince of
Peace Roman Catholic Church, 415 Weidman Rd., Manchester, MO with Monsignor
Ted Wojcicki officiating. A Celebration of Life Open House will follow from 3:00 pm –
6:00 pm at Woodsmill Village Clubhouse, 753 Clubhouse Drive, Ballwin MO. Interment
will be private at a later date. The family kindly requests that all attendees wear brightly
colored clothing to honor Joe’s vibrant and joyful spirit.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations in Joe’s memory to the
following organizations:

Evelyn’s House Hospice
The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital
1001 Highlands Plaza Drive West, Suite 140
St. Louis, MO 63110
https://www.foundationbarnesjewish.org/Give-Hospice

Missouri Baptist Hospital
Attention: Foundation (choose one – Nursing Scholarship Fund or New Residency
Program)
3015 North Ballas Road
St. Louis, MO 63131
https://www.missouribaptist.org/give