Donald Ray Koehler Jr., 73, of High Ridge died May 6, 2022, at his home. Mr. Koehler was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and later earned a bachelor’s degree from Tarkio College. He graduated from the St. Louis Police Academy in 1970 and then worked for two years for the St. Louis Police Department and then the Arnold Police Department, where he worked his way up from patrolman to sergeant to detective lieutenant in charge of the Bureau of Investigation and as a member of the Major Case Squad of the Greater St. Louis Area, to captain to interim police chief until his retirement in 1999. One of the highlights of his career was during the National Flood Summit of 1993 in Arnold, he was charged with the detail to assist with the security of President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, 10 cabinet secretaries and dozens of other federal and state officials from the region. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, camping, motorcycle riding and traveling. After his retirement, he and his wife toured the country and Canada several times on their Harley. He was the son of the late: Sally (Whitney) and Donald R. Koehler Sr.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years: Elaine (Nothum) Koehler; three children: Donald R. Koehler III, Kimberly (Koehler) Lucas and Chad (Terisa) Koehler; his six grandchildren Justin Mathenia, Kayler, Emily, Olivia, Ethan and Isabelle; a brother: Gene E. Becker; a brother-in-law: Gordon H. (Judy) Nothum; brother-in-law John A. (Stephanie) Nothum; and many other family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by a brother-in-law: Alan J. Nothum.
A memorial celebration will be held from 2-4 p.m. May 21, at Kutis Funeral Home, 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd., St. Louis, and will be followed by funeral services. Burial will be held at 1:30 p.m., May 23, at the National Cemetery at Jefferson Barracks. Memorials may be made to the Gleason Foundation or the ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter. Arrangements are under the direction of Kutis Funeral Home.