John Stanley Eckels

John Stanley Eckels, 84, of Mission Hills, Kansas passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on October 17, 2024. He was born on September 6, 1940, to Philip Gene and Mary Pritchard Eckels in Atchison, Kansas. 

At age 16, his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he attended and graduated from Southwest High School. He then received his college degree from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and then attended Stanford Law School in Palo Alto, California, where he received his law degree. 

On August 11, 1966, he married the love of his life, Miriam “Mimi” Pauline Thomas in Kansas City, Missouri and they promptly moved to Augsburg, Germany where John served in the United States Army. After serving his country, he and Mimi returned to Kansas City to start their family and his legal career. Together, they had three children. 

He was a savvy and accomplished corporate attorney and became managing partner at Gage & Tucker. He successfully led the merger that created Lathrop & Gage (now Lathrop GPM) where he remained managing partner until shortly before his retirement in 2006. He served as counsel to the Hall Family Foundation and played a key role in keeping his beloved Royals here in Kansas City. An avid racing fan, he also served on the board that secured the annual NASCAR race at the Kansas Speedway. 

John was an active supporter of his community and served on the boards of Starlight Theatre, Midwest Research Institute, Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Salvation Army, and the Pembroke Hill School. He worked closely with the Junior League of Kansas City, Kansas and Ronald McDonald House Charities to open the first Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City. 

John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother William “Bill”, his daughter Mary Ellen “Molly”, his granddaughter Margot Bennett McCoy and his brother-in-law Robert “Bob” Emerson. 

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Mimi; his son David and wife Ann Eckels; his daughter Sarah and husband Jeff McCoy; and his grandchildren John “Jack” (his fiance Maria Kleinsmith), Thomas “Tommy”, Jeanne, William, and Molly Eckels, and Charlie, Mimi, and Ruby Jean McCoy. He is also survived by his sisters Katherine “Katie” Eckels Miller (Derek Miller) of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Elizabeth “Betsy” Emerson of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. 

John was a devoted, faithful and loving husband, father and grandfather with a heart of gold who kept his word, did what he said he would do and never broke a promise made. He always aimed to do the right thing, even if doing so was difficult. His resilient spirit and strong will carried him forward during periods of adversity. Family was always his top priority and despite the demands of his career, he was always available to them. His eight grandchildren were the apple of his eye, and he enjoyed spending as much time as possible with each of them. 

A visitation for John with the family will be held on Tuesday, October 22nd, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at Visitation Church, 5100 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri. A Rosary will be said for him at 5:00 pm prior to the visitation. The Funeral Mass of the Resurrection will also be at Visitation Church at 11:30 am on Wednesday, October 23rd. A private burial will be held after Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to a charity of your choice.