LEO HOPE SPEH, a master memorialist and stonecarver, was the husband of IDA BOCKIUS SPEH and proud father of six daughters. LEO attended SS. Peter & Paul High School and apprenticed to his father, FRANZ X. SPEH, at the Speh Monument Works in South St. Louis. Later, he and his brothers ERNST, ALBERT and HUGO worked in the firm.
LEO served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and became active in the American Legion. He designed and supervised the fabrication of the flame/column torch monument at the SOLDIERS MEMORIAL in Downtown St. Louis, which also featured the name of SPEH grandson SGT. EDWARD V. DREHER, killed in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (son of Mathilda Speh Dreher and Joseph Dreher, Sr., nephew of Msgr. George J. Dreher, founding pastor of Resurrection Church in South St. Louis).
LEO was also active in the Affton Chamber of Commerce and the St. Louis Monument Dealers Association. A longtime resident of Coventry Lane in Affton, Leo and Ida were members of Seven Holy Founders Parish. LEO also supervised the hand-carved raised lettering, specialty floral carvings and other (meticulous) craftsmanship details SPEH MONUMENT COMPANY was known for. A great tradition of the firm was its lavishly landscaped backyard, complete with permanent barbeque pit and picnic shelter, which the SPEHS made available to community and church groups at no charge--an excellent source of word-of-mouth promotion (particularly in the German-American community of South St. Louis where their firm was widely known and highly regarded).
LEO and ERNST were close friends of CASPER "Cass" TODT, superintendent of Old SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery in South St. Louis (and together with his brother ANTON TODT, developer of Resurrection Cemetery), and "Sox" CHRISMAN, founder and developer of Sunset Burial Park. LEO and ERNST were instrumental in the planning, layout and monumental work found in these cemeteries. Many of the SPEH Monument Company memorial works have the "SPEH" stylized logo carved into the top of the monument base.
On LEO's death, he was buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, his specific request.
LEO served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and became active in the American Legion. He designed and supervised the fabrication of the flame/column torch monument at the SOLDIERS MEMORIAL in Downtown St. Louis, which also featured the name of SPEH grandson SGT. EDWARD V. DREHER, killed in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (son of Mathilda Speh Dreher and Joseph Dreher, Sr., nephew of Msgr. George J. Dreher, founding pastor of Resurrection Church in South St. Louis).
LEO was also active in the Affton Chamber of Commerce and the St. Louis Monument Dealers Association. A longtime resident of Coventry Lane in Affton, Leo and Ida were members of Seven Holy Founders Parish. LEO also supervised the hand-carved raised lettering, specialty floral carvings and other (meticulous) craftsmanship details SPEH MONUMENT COMPANY was known for. A great tradition of the firm was its lavishly landscaped backyard, complete with permanent barbeque pit and picnic shelter, which the SPEHS made available to community and church groups at no charge--an excellent source of word-of-mouth promotion (particularly in the German-American community of South St. Louis where their firm was widely known and highly regarded).
LEO and ERNST were close friends of CASPER "Cass" TODT, superintendent of Old SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery in South St. Louis (and together with his brother ANTON TODT, developer of Resurrection Cemetery), and "Sox" CHRISMAN, founder and developer of Sunset Burial Park. LEO and ERNST were instrumental in the planning, layout and monumental work found in these cemeteries. Many of the SPEH Monument Company memorial works have the "SPEH" stylized logo carved into the top of the monument base.
On LEO's death, he was buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, his specific request.
LEO HOPE SPEH, a master memorialist and stonecarver, was the husband of IDA BOCKIUS SPEH and proud father of six daughters. LEO attended SS. Peter & Paul High School and apprenticed to his father, FRANZ X. SPEH, at the Speh Monument Works in South St. Louis. Later, he and his brothers ERNST, ALBERT and HUGO worked in the firm.
LEO served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and became active in the American Legion. He designed and supervised the fabrication of the flame/column torch monument at the SOLDIERS MEMORIAL in Downtown St. Louis, which also featured the name of SPEH grandson SGT. EDWARD V. DREHER, killed in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (son of Mathilda Speh Dreher and Joseph Dreher, Sr., nephew of Msgr. George J. Dreher, founding pastor of Resurrection Church in South St. Louis).
LEO was also active in the Affton Chamber of Commerce and the St. Louis Monument Dealers Association. A longtime resident of Coventry Lane in Affton, Leo and Ida were members of Seven Holy Founders Parish. LEO also supervised the hand-carved raised lettering, specialty floral carvings and other (meticulous) craftsmanship details SPEH MONUMENT COMPANY was known for. A great tradition of the firm was its lavishly landscaped backyard, complete with permanent barbeque pit and picnic shelter, which the SPEHS made available to community and church groups at no charge--an excellent source of word-of-mouth promotion (particularly in the German-American community of South St. Louis where their firm was widely known and highly regarded).
LEO and ERNST were close friends of CASPER "Cass" TODT, superintendent of Old SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery in South St. Louis (and together with his brother ANTON TODT, developer of Resurrection Cemetery), and "Sox" CHRISMAN, founder and developer of Sunset Burial Park. LEO and ERNST were instrumental in the planning, layout and monumental work found in these cemeteries. Many of the SPEH Monument Company memorial works have the "SPEH" stylized logo carved into the top of the monument base.
On LEO's death, he was buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, his specific request.
LEO served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and became active in the American Legion. He designed and supervised the fabrication of the flame/column torch monument at the SOLDIERS MEMORIAL in Downtown St. Louis, which also featured the name of SPEH grandson SGT. EDWARD V. DREHER, killed in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (son of Mathilda Speh Dreher and Joseph Dreher, Sr., nephew of Msgr. George J. Dreher, founding pastor of Resurrection Church in South St. Louis).
LEO was also active in the Affton Chamber of Commerce and the St. Louis Monument Dealers Association. A longtime resident of Coventry Lane in Affton, Leo and Ida were members of Seven Holy Founders Parish. LEO also supervised the hand-carved raised lettering, specialty floral carvings and other (meticulous) craftsmanship details SPEH MONUMENT COMPANY was known for. A great tradition of the firm was its lavishly landscaped backyard, complete with permanent barbeque pit and picnic shelter, which the SPEHS made available to community and church groups at no charge--an excellent source of word-of-mouth promotion (particularly in the German-American community of South St. Louis where their firm was widely known and highly regarded).
LEO and ERNST were close friends of CASPER "Cass" TODT, superintendent of Old SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery in South St. Louis (and together with his brother ANTON TODT, developer of Resurrection Cemetery), and "Sox" CHRISMAN, founder and developer of Sunset Burial Park. LEO and ERNST were instrumental in the planning, layout and monumental work found in these cemeteries. Many of the SPEH Monument Company memorial works have the "SPEH" stylized logo carved into the top of the monument base.
On LEO's death, he was buried with full military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, his specific request.
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