John Moeller

John G. Moeller

PROUD EASTSIDER and DEDICATED MINNESOTA SPORTS FAN

John Moeller, 90, St. Paul, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family under the care of Our Lady of Peace Hospice on Thursday, June 27, 2024. 

John was born June 15, 1934, in St. Paul, son of late Carl and Eleanore (Nevu) Moeller. He attended Johnson High School in St. Paul. After high school, John served in the U.S. Army. After the Army, John worked many years as a Sheet Metal Worker for Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 for forty years until his retirement in 1998.

On February 5, 1966, John married Margaret Samb who predeceased him. They had one son, Greg (Kim), a granddaughter, Macy Moeller, Appleton, Wisconsin. John was an active parishioner with Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. John and Margaret loved to dance polkas/waltzes together. He would always tune into his favorite program - Polka Around the World every day at noon. They were avid bikers and walkers. They belonged to the Twin Cities Bike Club and Twin Cities Park and Recreation Senior Walking Club. John was known to ride his bike with the Twin Cities Bike Club well into his 80s. He looked forward to the St. Paul Classic Bike Ride every fall. He was proud that he could even ride Century Rides (100 mile rides) until he was well late into his 70s. He was a Class B rider for many years and would log thousands of miles over the years. 

John was an active sportsman. He was an passionate fisherman and bow hunter. He loved fishing and you would often find him on Chisago Lake tooling around in his boat all day catching lots of sunfish or crappies. He was fortunate to fish by himself until last fall. He loved to go fishing with his son Greg and his grand-dog, Kali. He also loved his trip to Alaska with his good friends Andy and Judy to go Halibut fishing. John loved bow hunting with his brother Gary, nephew Joe and his friend, Jimmy Clemens. He has lots of crazy stories of getting his trophy bucks and antics. 

John will always be known as our “Seenager.” We could always make suggestions to him but we would never really know if he would listen to us. He would say, “Yeah” or “I’ll think about it.” He was quite active by riding his stationary recumbent bike and doing 25 push ups each morning up until a few months ago. Apparently it would cure his leg pains. Even five years ago, a doctor had to tell John about how he should not climb trees anymore. He was always a daredevil and kept us on our toes. He liked to drive fast in his F-150 or his Escape with us holding onto the “Hail Mary” bars or closing our eyes. 

John had a special relationship with his granddaughter, Macy. She gave him the name, Papa Moe. When she was little, she would ride on his back all through the house or “butt bump” the fence. One of Macy’s favorite memories was when Papa played with a yo-yo and cracked the chandelier light that made Nana Moe so mad at him. One time, he took her fishing in the boat in the driveway where they played for hours catching the big one. He always loved goofing around with Macy. He was so proud of her and supported her with her education goals. He was so proud she is studying to be an Occupational Therapist at the University of LaCrosse because she is so kind, caring and smart. They loved talking on the phone and he always referred to Macy as his “honey.” 

Whether it was the Minnesota Vikings, Wild, Twins, Timberwolves or Gophers, John was always watching the football, hockey, baseball, basketball or volleyball games with multiple games flipping back and forth at one time. John was known for changing the subject back to the latest game he was watching. At the beginning of each Minnesota Vikings’ season, he would tell his daughter-in-law, Kim who is a die hard Packers’ fan, that it was going to be the year that the Vikings were going to win the Super Bowl.

After his retirement, John enjoyed cooking and baking. He was known for his chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cakes. He would often make chocolate chip cookies to take to the Ramsey County Care Center when he visited Margaret. He always loved cooking. He would call Kim to ask her for recipes. He especially loved making chicken dumpling soup, lasagna and pot roast. He was also known for his Easter ham or Thanksgiving turkey that he cooked on the charcoal grill.

Survivors include his son, Greg (Kim) Moeller and his granddaughter, Macy and grand dog- Kali, Appleton, Wisconsin; sister, Ramona Pavel, brother Gary (Suzanna) Moeller; sister-in-law Karen (Bud) Ames Lambert and brother-in-laws, Bill Casey, Brent (Laura) Samb, Blaine (Linda) Samb. Special friends, Charlie Super, Annie Taylor, Nora Super, Tom & Laurie Weyer.

Besides his parents, John was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret, sisters and their spouses Kay (Neal) Buckwald, Rose (Lynn) Johnston, Mary Jane (Robert) Greising, Patricia Casey; brother and his spouse, Carl (Elizabeth) Moeller; sister-in-law Alice Moeller; brother-in-laws, Roger Ames, Bruce Samb and Bryan Samb. 

The funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 9 at 10:30 am at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 2119 Stillwater Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55119 with visitation starting at 9:30 am. There will be a luncheon to follow. John will be buried with his wife, Margaret Moeller, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Internment will take place on Wednesday, July 10.

The family wishes to extend sincere appreciation to Dr. Benjamin Rosenstein at M Health Fairview Phalen Village Clinic and Our Lady of Peace Hospice. In addition, a special thanks to Charlie Super, Annie Taylor and Nora Super for their extra support for the Moeller family during this difficult time.