Loretta Mae Boemler (née Bonacker), 99, of Webster Groves, Missouri, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2026.
Loretta was born in her family’s House Springs home on September 8, 1927, and raised with the stubborn drive and strong work ethic of a farm girl. She lived her life as if she were capable of doing anything, and more often than not, proved that she could. A voracious reader from a young age, she claimed she read every single book in Eureka High School’s library during her daily hour-long bus rides to and from school. That passion for learning led her to begin her teaching career. She started teaching at just 18 years old, taking a teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse, Moss Hollow School in Barnhart.
While teaching, she met her future husband, Floyd Boemler, through a mutual friend. They married on June 8, 1947, and moved briefly to Flint, Michigan, so Floyd could study engineering. However, they soon returned home so he could join his father in running the family business, Boemler Chevrolet. They settled in Imperial, Missouri, living in an apartment attached to the dealership. It was here they began raising their two boys, Dale and Steve. Determined to put her sons through college, Loretta took classes at Southeast Missouri State University, later transferring to Mineral Area Community College, and ultimately graduating from Washington University with her degree in education. She began teaching first grade at Windsor Elementary School, and in her second year, she became the school’s very first kindergarten teacher. She taught for ten years, touching countless young lives before retiring following the birth of her first grandchild.
Loretta lived a vibrant life centered on faith, service, and family. She was an active member of St. Luke’s UCC in Antonia and later St. John’s Evangelical UCC in South St. Louis County. Deeply invested in local and family heritage, she served as president of the Kimmswick Historical Society, establishing and maintaining its museum. As a member of the Mastodon Park Committee, she helped establish the state park and the Jefferson County Science Fair. She spent endless hours researching genealogy, tracing the Bonacker and Boemler family roots all the way back to Germany and France. Later in life at her independent living facility, she remained passionately engaged through the non-partisan Seniors for Democracy group. At home, she maintained a ridiculously large vegetable garden and an equally impressive floral garden. She loved traveling and exploring new places with her husband, and found great joy in music—she loved to sing and was always the proudest supporter of the musical talents of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Above all, she loved her family “a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck.”
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Floyd Boemler; her son, Dale Boemler; her parents, Kenneth and Matilda Bonacker; and her brothers, Alvin Bonacker (Jacqueline “Jacky”), Donald Bonacker (Mary), and Stanley Bonacker (Mary Jane).
Loretta is survived by her loving son, Steve Boemler, and daughter-in-law, Rosa Brefeld; her daughter-in-law, Cathy Boemler; her grandchildren: Kurt Boemler (Beth), Beth Berg (Tim), Mark Boemler, Chris Boemler (Laura), and Derek Boemler (Anne); her great-grandchildren: Emmett, Calvin, Melody, Nora, Brooks, Sophia, and Lillian; and her cherished honorary granddaughter, Sarah Farias.
Service Details: Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at St. John’s Evangelical United Church of Christ, 11333 St. John Church Rd, St. Louis, MO 63123. A funeral service will follow immediately at 12:00 PM. Arrangements entrusted to Kutis South County Chapel.
Interment will be held privately at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband, Floyd.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Evangelical UCC in support of Logan’s Playground.