Harold Michael Criste Jr.

Harold Michael Criste, Jr, aka Grandpap, was born on May 17, 1928 in Cresson, Pennsylvania to the late Harold Michael Criste, Sr and Margaret Goss. Harold attended school in Pennsylvania and helped his Grandpap at his gas station and soda shop, the Goss bottling company, in Twin Rocks, PA. Harold joined the Army Air Corp and was stationed in Nome, Alaska for 1 year and Anchorage, Alaska for 6 months. He then traveled to St. Louis to visit his friend from the service, Jim Mertle and there met his future wife of 58 years, Rosemary Mertle. They were engaged 3 months later and then married on January 14, 1956. Harold and Rosemary lived in Florissant, Missouri where they raised their children, Michael, Susan, Diane, Maureen and Shelly. Harold, sometimes known as “Chris” worked for 33 years at IBM as a Customer Engineer servicing computers for companies such as Monsanto, Community Federal Bank and National Food Store, often being called in the middle of the night to come repair their computers. Harold’s pastimes included a broad spectrum of interests. He was an award winning target shooter, both with his rifle and his pistol. He continued to compete well into his 70’s. He enjoyed working on cars and even built a special paint room in the garage to paint his Dodge dart a bright sunny yellow. He also loved to fish, looking forward to the family’s annual camping trip to Pensacola where he and his brother–in-law, Archie, would spend the nighttime hours fishing for sharks off of the pier or in the surf. One such adventure had them hooking a very large shark which they could see at the surface of the water but had no way to pull it up to the pier. So, he went back home and designed and built his own grappling hook; filing the points, bending the metal and welding it all together so they would be ready the next time. His dedication to problem solving and perseverance has been passed down to his children and grandchildren. This problem solving and love of a challenge was often put to the test at Halloween and Science Fair time. Halloween would bring requests for a myriad of costumes. He made his children into robots with moving belts and flashing lights, genies with their human sized pink magic bottle complete with built -in step for popping out the top, tinkerbells with beautiful wire green gauzy wings and so many more. Science Fair season had him helping create solar water heaters, homemade music boxes that played “Swing Hi, Swing Lo”, and a working iron lung created from a Ken doll and a coffee can. Harold was a true craftsman in his carpentry work. He leaves behind a legacy of beautifully crafted furniture, meticulously designed, shaped by strong talented hands and full of his love for family. Generations will enjoy and wonder at his amazing gift in building pool tables, kitchen tables, rocking horses, dressers, beds, benches, curio cabinets, mouse houses with working miniature chandeliers and so much more. He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife, Rosemary, his children Michael and Sherry Criste, Susan and Ted Bond, Diane and James Signaigo, Maureen and Tommy Werner, Shelly and Fred Brandon; his grand children, Joseph, Katie, Seth and his wife Lindsey, Lauren, Sophie, Savannah, Sierra, Roman, Noah, Vito, Casey, Jordan, Haley, Ella and Willow; his siblings, Patsy, Lois, Camille and Don and Don’s wife Carol; his cousins, nieces, nephews and a host of relatives and friends. Harold will be forever missed. We imagine he is keeping busy right now making rocking chairs for the angels and designing a way to accommodate their wings….always up for a challenge. Donations in his memory can be made to the St. Louis Peregrine Society.

Harold Michael Criste Jr.

May 17, 1928 - August 17, 2014