John Bronakowski's Obituary
John James Bronakowski, age 61, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, June 4, 2026. John (or JB as most people knew him) was born October 31, 1964 to Judith and John Bronakowski Sr in St. Louis, MO. A few years after his birth, the family moved to the Chicagoland area where he grew into adulthood. While in Chicago he became a fierce Bears fan, but his heart stayed in St. Louis with his beloved Cardinals.
Some of his most cherished memories were of his times in Chicago where he met the best friends a man could have, Steve Camp and Jay Saviano. They stayed friends throughout his entire life supporting JB through all the good and bad times.
JB moved back to St. Louis as a young adult to work as a drywall taper with his dad. After several years in the construction field, he decided to try his hand at higher education and enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia. There, with a little liquid courage and an unbelievable Monday Night Football win by his Bears, John asked his neighbor, Jill, out. She said yes and the two eventually got married. They moved back to St. Louis where JB went back to the drywall business to support his family. There, Grace and Charlie were born. They were his true passion! It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see him on the floor playing with his children, giggling, and sharing his favorite tunes.
In a twist of fate, the family made the move to Boonville, MO where John and Jill raised the kids and JB worked at the Boonville Correctional Center as a correctional officer, and eventually retired from there.
John will be known for his plethora of sports trivia. He might not have been able to remember a birthday, but he could tell you who played third base for the Cardinals in 1976 and add in their batting average! He was an amazing cook and could grill the heck out of pork steaks. He was never afraid to give you his opinion, and you knew when he was in the room. He loved music, especially Blues and Zydeco.
John is survived by his beloved children Grace Bronakowski of Windsor, MO and Charlie Bronakowski of Columbia, MO, his sister Laura Talerico and his nephews Johnny and Joey Talerico, as well as his ex-wife, Jill.
He was preceded in death by his parents John and Judith.
There will be a private celebration of life at a later date.
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