Ron Queen was always able to find joy in the simple things in life.
“He loved to watch old Western movies,” said his daughter, Candi LaMartina of Farmington. “It drove my mom crazy sometimes. But now, the grandkids see an old John Wayne movie and they think of Grandpa.”
Mr. Queen died May 19 at age 83 of complications from lung cancer. He was a longtime grocer, restaurant owner and real estate developer.
He grew up in De Soto, the second of six children, and began working at the local Tom-Boy grocery store in De Soto as a teenager. He did a stint in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1963, training as a parachute rigger, and returned to grocery work once back home.
“He worked as a butcher at Schnucks in Cross Keys,” Candi said. “I remember him talking about driving all the way from De Soto up to north (St. Louis) County.”
He met Becky Wall at the Artesian Park nightclub in Herculaneum, and the two were married in 1964.
“They lived in the Springdale trailer park in Fenton,” Candi said. “They bought a house a few years later in Creve Coeur, and he worked at the Schnucks store there.”
The Queens had three children in five years, and Becky ran a hair salon out of their home. The family moved to Festus in 1978, and Mr. Queen transferred to the Arnold Schnucks store.
The young family enjoyed traveling.
“Dad would load us in the station wagon with a cooler full of his favorite cream soda and we’d take off,” Candi said. “In those days you didn’t make reservations; you just drove until the sun went down, then stopped and found a hotel.
“He took us east – Virginia, the Carolinas, Florida – and all the states along the route. He wanted us to see the country.”
Mr. Queen and his wife both enjoyed working outdoors.
“They took a lot of pride in maintaining their home,” Candi said. “Landscaping and yard work they did themselves, never hired it out. He wasn’t into fishing or anything like that; he spent his weekends taking care of things around the house and just being with his family.”
Mr. Queen enjoyed collecting coins and stamps, and he loved clocks.
“There were multiple grandfather clocks in his house,” Candi said. “All of us were used to the chiming, but if somebody came to the house for the first time, they would definitely be surprised. He had mantel clocks, cuckoo clocks, you name it, and he made sure they were all cleaned and wound.”
The family attended Our Lady Catholic Church in Festus.
“We went to school there,” Candi said. “My mom participated in more of the ministries, but they both were faithful members.”
In 1980, Mr. Queen left Schnucks to join his two brothers, Russ Queen and the late Jack Queen, in their local grocery business.
“Jack and Russ had started Queen’s Markets, with stores in Barnhart, Pacific, Otto, Pevely, Hillsboro, two in De Soto,” Candi said. “My sister and I worked as checkers in our teens, and my brother started as a teen and kept working there.”
Mr. Queen bought the Jefferson Square shopping center in De Soto in about 2003, and managed the property along with his son, Ronald “Buzz” Queen.
He and his wife enjoyed traveling, especially cruises.
“Sometimes it was just the two of them, but usually they went with some of her family and their spouses,” Candi said. “That was his social outlet, going out and exploring.”
She said her father enjoyed learning new things and loved to work with his hands.
“Dad was always a handyman,” she said. “He and my brother built Buzz’s home in the early ’90s, along with family and friends.”
The Queens opened the Bistro at the Square restaurant in Jefferson Square in 2007 and ran it for 10 years, closing shortly before Mrs. Queen’s death in May 2017 from liver failure.
“Had she not gotten sick, I feel they probably would have kept it going, because they always enjoyed working,” Candi said. “It was a huge commitment, but they loved being around all the people. On Sundays there were different groups who would always come after Mass, and Mom and Dad enjoyed visiting with them. People they knew growing up would always pop in.”
After the death of his wife and with Bistro at the Square closed permanently, Mr. Queen turned to other pursuits.
“Going back to work helped him get through (his wife’s death),” Candi said. “His life was turned upside down and he missed her terribly.”
He played cards with friends, went to the casino occasionally, spent time with his grandchildren.
“He was healthy up until last year,” Candi said. “He was always strong, and it seemed like nothing could stop him.”
Then Mr. Queen was diagnosed with lung cancer in mid-2020.
“From the first, they said chemo wouldn’t cure him, but would give him more time,” Candi said. “He chose to do it and was optimistic about it.
“And it did give him more time. That was a huge blessing to all of us.”
When he finally chose to stop the treatment, his decline came quicky, and he died at home surrounded by family.
Candi said her father will be remembered for his love of family.
“Dad was more of the reserved type, but he had a sense of humor and was a loving individual. He had a big heart and always was sympathetic toward other people and wanted to help them.
“He was never the attention-seeking type; that wasn’t his style. But he always did his best to do right, and to do good. He was a good man.”
“Life Story,” posted Saturdays on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.