St. Louis judge, Chaffee native, John Essner dies at 69

A son of Scott County, longtime associate St. Louis County Circuit Judge John R. Essner has died. He was 69.

Essner died Aug. 14 following a long bout with cancer.

Described by colleagues as thoughtful, fair and generous with his time, Essner spent more than 20 years at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM).

LSEM honored the judge’s work with the annual Honorable John R. Essner Young Lawyer Award, given to recognize legal work done on behalf of people marginalized by poverty.

In a statement of tribute issued by the St. Louis County Courts’ office, Essner was said to have been always one of the last to leave the courthouse in Clayton, Missouri, each weekday night.

The statement said Essner was guided by his grocer father’s motto — “Never let the other guy outwork you.”

Essner was born March 12, 1951, in Chaffee, Missouri.

As a boy, the future jurist worked at his father’s grocery store, Essner’s Market.

He moved with his family to Los Angeles in the middle of his eighth-grade year but would not linger in California long.

Following his graduation from UCLA, Essner returned to the Show Me State and attended Saint Louis University’s law school, and would remain a resident of Missouri for the rest of his life.

Appointed to the bench in 1999 by then-Gov. Mel Carnahan, Essner served the rest of his life as a family court judge, where his decisions impacted victims of domestic violence and children caught in the middle of painful custody battles.

Married for 32 years to Cyndi Newsome, the couple had two children, Elisa and Will.

He was a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team.

Due to COVID concerns, a memorial service for Essner will be planned at a future date.

Contributions in his memory are recommended to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri at www.lsem.org/donate.