John Sheputis

“Big” John Sheputis passed away at the age of 87 on June 23rd, 2025 at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. John suffered a minor stroke on Father’s Day and a more significant stroke a few days later that proved fatal.

In his final days, he was surrounded by his children and spoke of how proud he was of his family and that he was at peace with what he had accomplished in his life.

John had very humble beginnings, being born in Johnston City, Illinois in 1938, the second surviving child of Elizabeth and Paul Sheputis, both Lithuanian immigrants. Johnston City was a coal mining town in southern Illinois that was in decline after peaking in the 1920s. John’s father (Paul - a longtime miner) abandoned Elizabeth while she was pregnant with John. Paul didn’t want to raise another child, and left Johnston City to find mining work in West Virginia.

To raise John, Elizabeth asked the Catholic Church to annul the marriage to Paul so that she could wed Pete Koncus (also a Lithuanian miner). The local Priest didn’t approve of the annulment and refused to baptize John, which is why he had no middle name, a lifelong reminder of being unforgiven for his father’s sins.

Big John received little by way of guidance or support. His stepfather Pete Koncus asked, “Johnny, why you waste time in school? All the money’s in the mines.” The house John was raised in had no indoor plumbing and few electric lights. John’s chores included keeping the franklin stove lit and cleaning the outhouse. Still, John was an excellent student and played multiple varsity sports at high school, in part so he could take a hot shower.

Basketball allowed John to escape the mines. As a Senior and starting center, he led 2A Johnston City to a 20-8 record and received “Honorable Mention” in Illinois All-State player listings. John received 25 basketball scholarship offers and chose to play at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied Engineering. At John’s high school graduation, he met his dad, Paul Sheputis senior, for the first and only time. Paul offered praise and cash. John, while in need of money, proudly refused.

John didn’t have the same basketball success in the Big 10 and lost his scholarship and had to leave Wisconsin-Madison after 2 years. He then enlisted in the US Navy, where he served on the USS Antietam (CV-36 Essex class Carrier). After his 2-year enlistment was extended by the Cuban Missile Crisis, he was honorably discharged as an Electronics Technician 3rd Class.

In early 1963, John took a job as lab tech at Service Master in Chicago, where he met Judi Hill (the lab manager - soon to be Judi Sheputis). They were married August 31, 1963 at St. Edward’s in Chicago. Their marriage lasted almost 62 years - until Judi’s passing (on May 25, 2025). From the day they wed, John and Judi were only separated in life for 28 days.

The young newlyweds moved frequently. Big John began working as a roustabout in west Texas, where Jane Ray (Sheputis) was born in Andrews Texas and John P Sheputis was born in Houston Texas. The family moved to Louisiana so John could complete his coursework and earn a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Big John then began a 25-year career with Monsanto in 1967, requiring moves to Collinsville Illinois, where Joe Sheputis was born, and then to Fox River Grove Illinois, where Jay Sheputis was born, before returning to the home office in Creve Coeur Missouri in 1976. The Monsanto adventure didn’t stop, as Big John accepted an assignment in Japan from 1982-83, taking the family to Tokyo for a year (making the Sheputis’ the tallest family in Japan).

John’s work at Monsanto as a lead engineer and project manager for the Enviro-Chem division (which built sulfuric acid plants) took him all over the world. His skills and desire to explore made him the go-to engineer for international projects to design and build large acid plants in Italy, South Korea, Morocco, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and South Africa. Despite having no special linguistic skills, he connected with international engineers and could relate to the ‘working man’ in every culture.

Outside of work, John was an avid reader. He loved reading history and biographies. Long books didn’t deter him. James Michener was one of his favorite authors. When his grandson Reed got admitted to The University of Texas at Austin earlier this year, John began re-reading the Michener novel “Texas.”

Being a man shaped by hard times, John was relentlessly frugal. His definition of happiness was having “Champagne money and beer taste.” He believed in hard work and took pride in “Making a Showing” every day. He was a resourceful and clever engineer, not afraid to fix his own cars or self-perform major home maintenance or improvements.

He and Judi often travelled together. Even in retirement, they would drive across the country or take cruise trips from Alaska to South America. He was proud to say he “escaped Johnston City”. In their final decades, they had a second home in Fairhope, Alabama. Never one to sit still, John earned a Master Garder designation during this time.

John is survived by his children, Jane (C Keith Ray), John P (Susie Campbell), Joe, and Jay (Amie Heuring Sheputis), and his grandchildren, Ryan, Reed, Audrey, and Charlotte. John was predeceased by his wife (Judi, 1940-2025) and his brother, Paul Sheputis junior (1922-2011).

Judi and John chose Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as their final resting place, where they will remain together forever.

In John’s later years, he made greater effort to thank people that made a difference in his life.

In memory of John, please reach out to a teacher, professor, coach, priest, rabbi, manager, relative, or friend who did you right. John believed showing gratitude, even greatly delayed, helps both parties.

The family would welcome stories about your memories of John.