William Melbourne Mees Sr, 83, of Chesterfield, MO passed away peacefully on March 18, 2023, in the
presence of family members. "Bill" was born in St Louis, MO on January 14, 1940 to Katherine Rose
(Studt) and Melbourne Francis Mees.
Bill was a chemist by trade and worked 30 years for Monsanto Corporation with roles spanning St Louis, MO,
Boston, MA, and Dayton, OH. After an early retirement, he continued his career in Cincinnati, OH
working to decontaminate the Fernald Power Plant. A devout Catholic, he was a member of Incarnate
Word Parish in Chesterfield, MO for the last 8+ years. An avid reader, Bill had an opinion on many
topics, was a critical thinker, and welcomed a good debate.
Bill cherished his time with the love of his life, Phyllis Mees (nee Trenn), with whom he recently celebrated his 61st
anniversary. He is also survived by his children: Bill Jr (Amy) of Cincinnati, OH; Karen (Bill) Vespa of
University City, MO; Jack (Candice) of Indianapolis, IN; and Andy (Lori) of Charlotte, NC. Bill was blessed
with 13 grandchildren: Hannah, Ellie, AJ, Katie, Lainey, Maria, Jane, Emily, Joe, Meg, Thomas, Will, and
Allie. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Rita; he is survived by his two brothers, Art
and David, both of St Louis, MO.
A lifelong scientist, Bill elected to donate his body to science in the care of St Louis University. A
memorial Mass and celebration of life will be held at Incarnate Word on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at
11:00am. The family will be available for visitation at the church beginning at 10:00am. In lieu of
flowers, donations can be sent to the American Lung Association (action.lung.org), or St Louis University
High School (www.SLUH.org/giving).