John D. Dwyer, who taught botany at St. Louis University for 32 years and classified plants in field trips for the Missouri Botanical Garden, died Tuesday (Dec. 6, 2005) at age 90. He had lived in Webster Groves and Ballwin. Mr. Dwyer died of complications from heart disease and diabetes at the Lutheran Convalescent Home in Webster Groves, where he had been a resident since March 2004. Mr. Dwyer was born in Newark, N.J., and obtained his master's and doctoral degrees in biology from Fordham University in New York. He taught at three colleges in New York before moving to St. Louis. He married the former Marie Rita Rozelle of New York in 1942. She died in 1998. Mr. Dwyer was chairman of the biology department at St. Louis University from 1953, when he joined faculty, until 1963. He continued teaching botany as a professor until he retired in 1985. One of his courses covered medicinal qualities of plants for pre-medical students. After he retired, his family established the Annual John Dwyer Lectures in Botany at the university. He became a research associate at the botanical garden in 1954. He collected and catalogued plants at the garden in more than 30 field trips to Central and South America, and Saudi Arabia, and continued working at the garden until 10 years ago. Mr. Dwyer's specialty was in rubiaceae, a family of flowering plants that includes coffee. Survivors include four sons, John Dwyer Jr. of Webster Groves, Dr. Joseph Dwyer of Branson, Mo., Dr. James Dwyer of Sedona, Ariz., and Dr. Jerome Dwyer of Creve Coeur; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Bopp Chapel, 10610 Manchester Road in Kirkwood. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Webster Groves. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Affton. Memorials may be made to the Dwyer Endowed Lectureship, Office of Development, St. Louis University, 221 North Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo. 63103.

Obituary, Post-Dispatch, November 7, 2005.