Local residents bid farewell Wednesday to Mardean Steinmetz, a staple at the St. Louis Missouri Family History Center in Frontenac for more than 40 years.
Steinmetz, who passed away on June 7 at age 92, was the Family History Center's director dating as far back as the 1960s. During her time as director, the center's workers assisted upwards of 160,000 patrons in their genealogical search endeavors.
"We mourn the loss of a cherished friend but celebrate a marvelous life as another St. Louis pioneer has moved to the other side," said Tom Farmer, a board member of the St. Louis Mormon Historical Society and co-author of "When the Saints Came Marching In: A History of the Latter-day Saints in St. Louis."
The St. Louis Family History Center is free and open to the public and is a branch of the popular FamilySearch.org genealogy website and the extensive Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Their goal is to provide resources to assist guests in the research and study of their genealogy and family history by:
• Giving personal one-on-one assistance to patrons;
• Providing access to genealogical records through the Internet or microfilm loan program;
• Offering free how-to classes.
As the center's director and genealogy expert, Steinmetz made many public appearances and conducted countless seminars on family history search topics.
The St. Louis Family History Center where Steinmetz was director is located inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 10445 Clayton Road in Frontenac. Learn more at http://www.archives.com/genealogy/records-missouri.html