Remembering Howard Etling: Newspaper Pioneer; Civic Leader

Howard Etling steered the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis into a force to be reckoned with.

My most vivid memory of Howard Etling was from a position on first base on a dusty softball field in Forest Park during a regular Thursday game in the St. Louis Softball Association's Media League. Howard was in his 70s at the time. but it didn't matter whether it was a scrappy sales rep from a local ad agency, or a big beefy dockhand from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Howard's easy slow-pitch delivery was effortlessly made. The rest of the team was expected to handle the fly balls and grounders that came our way. (For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.) Howard F. Etling, 98, a lifelong south St. Louisan, died of natural causes Nov. 30 at the Meramec Bluffs nursing home where he had lived since 2008. He leaves behind…

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