Pessoni, Louis A. “Lou” Asleep in Jesus on Thursday, January 21, 2021, passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Son of the late Angelo and Josephine Pessoni; beloved husband of Carole Pessoni (nee Guelker); loving father of Jill (Andy) Bollwerk, Mark (Cindy) Pessoni and John (Jessica) Pessoni; grandfather of Hayley (Kyle) Menges, Jordan Bollwerk, Tommy, Luca and Leo Pessoni; brother of the late Rita LaRose; special cousin of Sr. Paulette Patritti; our dearest uncle, great-uncle, cousin and friend to many.
Lou retired as a Locomotive Engineer with the Burlington Northern Railroad. He was a lifelong soccer player and coach with state, regional and national championship teams with the Busch Soccer Club/St. Louis Soccer Club/St. Louis Scott Gallagher. He was an inductee in the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
Services: A private funeral will be held at the Church he attended every day, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and private interment at Resurrection Cemetery. A huge celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 18, 2021 at Arnold City Park, Kiwanis Pavillion, from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Rain or Shine – a soccer game is likely to break out. The family wishes to thank the wonderful ICU staff at Mercy South for their compassionate care of our dear Lou. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or Masses preferred. A KUTIS SOUTH COUNTY service.
So sorry to hear of the loss of your loved one. May you take comfort knowing that he was respected and loved by so many people.
Lou was one of a kind. He was a great role model to so many young soccer players who grew up to be great role models for countless others. His positive influence will undoubtedly benefit generations to come. He always realized he was developing character – not just soccer players.
He never met a stranger. I always enjoyed chatting with him and exchanging soccer stories. He had many.
He was such a wonderful family man, so proud of his kids and grandkids. Our hearts break for the entire Pessoni family. The McDonoughs are thinking of you and praying for you. Lou will be missed, but certainly never forgotten. We are all so blessed to have known him.
Dear Carol, Jill,,Mark and John we are all so sorry for your loss. We have such fond memories of Lou. Dennis’’ time in the army, Lou coaching Tim and Brian in soccer and being such a wonderful neighbor and friend. Lou will be missed by all the Gorman family. Our prayers are with your family.
To John, Jessica and the entire Pessoni Family,
May Lou Rest In Peace Yet Live On In Your Hearts.
All of our thoughts & prayers are with you during this difficult period.
God Bless . . .
The Pageant & Delmar Hall Staff
So sad to hear that Lou passed. Him and my dad worked together on the railroad for many years. May dad thought he was a great guy and I learned that on a couple of trips to Indy for Pole Day. Lou helped me out in 2019 when my dad passed as a friend and pallbearer. Please accept my sincere condolences during this very difficult time.—Tony Ward.
Pessoni family, my family and I are very sorry for your loss, everyone’s loss really. I am deeply saddened by the passing of “coach”. Lou had such a profound impact on my life, as I’m sure others as well. Such a great coach, mentor, but most importantly an incredible man with a HUGE personality. He will forever be missed and eternally in my thoughts and prayers. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Scott
To the Lou Pessoni’s family. Please know what a great person Lou was and I will miss him in the Golf League. Lou would always say hello and we would chat before we teed off. He really helped make my day. Each new sunrise will have something missing for me and it is my buddy Lou. Don Moschenross
Prayers to the Pessoni Family. Coach Lou was an extraordinary man. So many great memories with Coach Lou. Coach Lou shaped so many young men’s lives whether it on the soccer pitch or other avenues they were pursuing. Coach Lou will truly be missed. I am lucky to have the honor to know Lou and play for him.
Carole and Family. Bill and I extend our deepest sympathy and prayers to you during this time. Lou was such a dear friend to Bill and so many more. He is truly going to be missed. He and the family will continually be in our thoughts and prayers.
Carol and Family. Bill and I offer our deepest sympathy and prayers for your loss. Lou was such a dear friend to Bill and so many more. His kindness and friendship will long be remembered. He is truly going to be missed as he was loved by so many. We will keep Lou and the family in our prayers.
Dear Pessoni family. I am heartbroken by this news. As many have said, coach had a tremendous impact on so many & his legacy will live on. We were lucky, as players on his team, to have such a tremendous & caring role model, on & off the field. I have so many great memories of practices, games, the Pessoni house… The Hobart family sends our prayers that your memories will comfort you during this difficult time. Scott Hobart
My deepest sympathy to the family of Lou. his passing will leave a large void in many lives. I spent a lot of long nights at the Chrysler plant with Lou He was always a gentleman with never a bad word for anyone. Rest in Peace, bud.
Dear Pessoni Family, I was deeply saddened by the news of Lou’s passing, I will be holding all of you up in my thoughts and prayers. Such an amazing man who never seemed to meet a stranger, and always made those around him feel like they were part of the family, to me growing up he was like a second father, and I am honored to know him in such a way. I know he was greeted in Heaven with a “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Lou, until we meet again I will always wear my airport shoes, and get burgerdoodle and eat in in the car.
Kathy
To the Pessoni family my sincerest condolences. As a parent of one of Lou’s players, not once did I ever see Coach lose his cool with a player or ref. At no time did I ever hear him speak a profane word. And always I saw Lou’s kindness, patience and good humor. Lou was the kind of man and coach every parent dreams their kid could play for. No doubt his players recognize the enormous influence he had on each and every one of them.
Rest in Peace my friend.
Tim Hobart
Dear Carol, Jill, Mark, John & Family
Our Heartfelt Sympathy to all of you We feel so Blessed to have Lou as our longtime friend with many years of wonderful memories & humorous stories. His love of family, faith, friends & community will be his legacy. Lou will be truly missed & always remembered, a Great Guy
May God bless you all ❤️George & Sue
My sincere sympathy to you and your family. Lou was such a great role model for everyone he came in contact with. I always enjoyed the times I spent with he and Carol. He will be remembered by all the people he knew and coached. He was very generous with his time spent trying to get kids into soccer programs and into college scholarships. Marie had a stroke 9 months ago and I know this would have saddened her.
Tony Favazza
My condolences to the Pessoni family. Lou taught me about soccer, trains, cars, and music. He also taught me how to be a team player. From St. Dominic Savio, to Mastercraft, to Busch Soccer Club, and on to a National Soccer Championship, he was there trying to make us better players and better people. Lou taught me how to win. The St. Louis Soccer Family benefited greatly from Lou.
During our telephone conversation in October, I told Lou every time I see a train down at the Port of Los Angeles, I think of him. Lou will be missed for sure. The Mercadante Family will be keeping you all in our prayers. My wife Christina and I look forward to celebrating Lou’s life this summer.
Tony Mercadante
Los Angeles, CA
Dear Carol, Jill , Mark and John,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. I will always remember him as my soccer coach and a good man with a great family . He will be missed by many because of the many lives he touched over the years . God bless and take care .
Mark Pelikan
So sorry to hear about the passing of Mr. Pessoni. I remember his infectious smile, laugh, and fun loving personality back when I was a student at St. Dominic Savio.
He was always considered a dear family friend. My condolences to the Pessoni family. Please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Dear Carol, Jill, Mark and John & Family
Lou will be deeply missed by many friends. No words can say how he touched so many peoples lives. I have many good memories of Lou, knowing him as a family friend growing up, then working with him. You and your family will be remembered in our prayers
Don & Annette
Please accept our condolences You are in our thoughts and prayers. Lou’s achievements are just a small insight into the great life he lived. He worked a tough schedule to make sure he was at practice and then onto his shift. You would have never known he worked his shift after practice. Lou touched so many of us in such a short time. His personality was one of a kind. He was always bubbly and knew how to pick up your spirits. He will be greatly missed.
The Garofalo’s
I am so very sorry for your loss. I can tell he was an wonderful man! I think it is so interesting that he was a locomotive engineer! I hope all of you memories bring you comfort during this difficult time. My prayers are with you.
To the Pessoni Family,
Our family is sorry for your loss. But have much gratitude for having the great pleasure of knowing Lou and playing for his awesome soccer team! I really appreciate the opportunity to see and talk to him at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade(s) and at the Saint Louis Soccer Hall of Fame Banquet(s). Busch ’72 was a well coached group of guys and the memories will last a lifetime! THANK YOU LOU!!!
Dear Carole, Jill, John and Mark and family. My sincerest condolences on your loss of Lou. He will be very missed but remembered with fondness. My prayers are with you during this time of loss.
Dear Carole, Jill, Mark, John and Family.
Please accept our sincerest condolences. Lou will be dearly missed but remembered in fondness. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of loss. He was a dear friend to our family.
Lou, you’re the greatest neighbor a guy could ask for. I’ll miss you a lot. It won’t be the same neighborhood without you.
It is amazing to see the names of teammates and the soccer community remember Mr. Pessoni. Someone said he taught us to win, and we did win a lot. However, I think above all, he brought us together and shared his love for the game. Playing for Coach Lou was fun, and we learned how to be successful in life, not just on a soccer field. I would love to know how many of us have gone on to coach, or be leaders in our local soccer communities. Thanks Coach