Leo Groenweghe Obituary

After a full and amazing life, Leo Groenweghe died peacefully on Saturday May 6th. Born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1925, he lived through the occupation of Belgium during WWII. He often told the story of how his family attempted to flee Belgium and were trapped between Antwerp and Dunkirk during the infamous German shelling. No surprise, one of his favorite movies was 'Dunkirk'. In the 1950s, with a PhD in chemistry from the University of Ghent in Belgium, he relocated to the United States. It was here he met his wife, Carmen Barnett, after breaking his ankle ice skating - she was the nurse who tended to him. During his career as a research chemist, he published numerous scientific papers and held over 30 patents for his work at Monsanto. He was fluent in 5 languages, and if you count Latin and ancient Greek, as he did, it was 7. He was an avid stamp collector, insisting stamps be positioned in the center of the envelope for the best cancellations. He loved classical music and in the 1950's, built his own high-fidelity sound system to play it on, usually way too loud. He counted the wasted wattage when his kids left lights on. He rushed through meals just to get to dessert, which he always ate. He planned every family vacation around a theme, be it rock arches, geysers or cathedrals. After Carmen's death in 1980, he married Marie Taylor and once retired, the two of them traveled extensively all over the world - there are boxes of pictures to prove it. He was kind and generous. The king of making accidental jokes that he only realized were funny once the laughter started. He will be missed very much. He is survived by his children, Philip, Marisa and Eric. His grandchildren Elizabeth, Alex, Kathryn and Carmen, his brother Ludo and his stepson Bradley. He is predeceased by his first wife Carmen, his second wife Marie, and stepdaughter Karen. Funeral Service will be Monday, May 15, 2023, 11:00 a. m. at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Road in Kirkwood. Interment Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday 10:00 a. m. until time of service.