Stengel, Mary Jeanette Houska

Mary Jeanette Houska Stengel

December 2, 1926 – August 17, 2026

Mary Jeanette Houska Stengel, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, aunt, cousin and friend, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026, at the age of 99, after a remarkable life centered on faith, family, love, curiosity and generosity.

Born December 2, 1926, to Winston Whittier Warren and Johanna Takasch Warren, Jeanette graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1944. Following World War II, she met Charles “Charlie” Houska, the love of her life. While Charlie attended Saint Louis University on the GI Bill, they dated and began planning their life together. They married in 1948, welcomed their first child in September 1949, and ultimately raised seven children, their youngest born in 1964.

Jeanette and Charlie shared more than four decades together, raising their family through the postwar years and the tremendous social and cultural changes that followed. Charlie’s death in 1989 was a profound loss to Jeanette and the family they had built together.

Several years later, Jeanette was fortunate to find love and companionship again with Herman Stengel. They married and shared many happy years together until his death in 2009. Charlie and Herman each held an important and distinct place in her life: Charlie as her first great love and the father with whom she built her family, and Herman as her loving companion for a wonderful later chapter of her life.

Jeanette is the devoted mother of Jeanne Trent (Terry), Carolyn Lund, Nancy Franz (Denny), the late Mike Houska (Meaghan), Lynn Higgins (Johnny), Laurie Gunning (Frank), and Mark Houska (Tracy).

She is the proud and deeply involved “Granna” of Cara (Eric), Anna (Jim), Julia (Anthony),  Pete (Sara), Sam H., Johanna, Molly, Sam G., Sophie, Ben, (Mallory), Elizabeth, Charlie (Melissa),  Mark Jr. (Claire),  and Jackson. She is the cherished great-Granna of Preston, Scarlett, Coco, Milla,  Paolina, Ella, Gus , Halle and Maclin, with another great-granddaughter, baby Marino, eagerly awaited in January 2027.

Family was the center of Jeanette’s life. She remained genuinely interested and involved in the lives of every generation — her children and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She celebrated their joys, shared their concerns and made each of them know how deeply they were loved.

Her Catholic faith was central to the woman she was. A devout Catholic and deeply spiritual person, Jeanette raised her children in the faith and encouraged them to live by the teachings and values of Jesus Christ — with compassion, generosity, forgiveness and concern for others. She had a special place in her heart for the poor, disadvantaged and overlooked, gave faithfully to Catholic Charities, Epilepsy Foundation and other causes, and always seemed to root for the underdog. Her faith was reflected in what she believed and also how she lived.

In addition to raising seven children, Jeanette worked as office manager of the family business, Big Bend Mart in Maplewood, Missouri. Later, she worked in hospital and emergency room admissions at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in South St. Louis County.

Jeanette had an extraordinary curiosity about the world. She traveled to all 50 states and more than 30 countries and became an accomplished trip planner long before the days of smartphones and online travel sites. Even decades later, she could recall remarkably specific details of places she had visited and remained a trusted travel consultant to her family.

That curiosity never left her. She embraced a changing world, learned new technology and remained intelligent, observant and engaged throughout her life. She also loved to shop and never lost the pleasure of finding something special – for herself and for all of her loved ones.

Perhaps most remarkable was the independence with which Jeanette lived. She remained proudly independent, mentally sharp and of sound mind through her final days, still interested in her family, the world around her and what everyone was doing next.

The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to the staff, servers and Jeanette’s many friends at Friendship Village, whose kindness, friendship and companionship meant so much to her and her family.

Jeanette lived through nearly a century of extraordinary change, but the things she valued most were constant: faith, family, generosity, independence, curiosity and love. Her greatest legacy lives on in the generations that follow her and in the values she instilled in them.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered as Mary Jeanette, Jeanette, Aunt Jeanette, Mother, Mom, Mama and Granna — the heart of a family that meant everything to her, and to whom she meant everything.

SERVICES:  Visitation Thursday, August 27, 9:30 a.m. until Mass 11:00 a.m. at St. Simon Church, 11011 Mueller Rd.  Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. A Kutis Affton Chapel Service.

DONATIONS: Our Mom loves flowers and our wish is to have the altar filled with floral gifts in her honor.  Please feel free to also donate to her favorite charities: Catholic Charities and Epilepsy Foundation.