October 28th, 1958 – August 24th, 2024
John Timothy Kuestersteffen, 65, of Merriam, Kansas peacefully passed on August 24, 2024, at Villa St. Francis. John was born on October 28, 1958, in Emporia, Kansas, and was adopted by Joseph Kuestersteffen and Shirley Kuestersteffen (née Mary Louise Eisenhauer). The Kuestersteffens’ had also opened their hearts and home to other children, including their adopted daughters, Mary Anne and Jeanne.
John grew up in the Merriam area and went to St. Joseph Catholic High School. He completed coursework at St. Mary’s of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas where he met the mother of his daughter. While there, he participated in the drama club. After school, he briefly lived in New Mexico. John returned to the Kansas City Metropolitan area and lived in Midtown for many years. He worked as an event planner, florist, and personal coordinator. John met the love of his life, Timothy Lambert, while in Midtown, and they eventually relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. He continued his work endeavors on a larger scale and extended into traveling event planning and retail management. John lived an active, vibrant, and fulfilling life in New Orleans for over 15 years with his partner Tim, and their dogs. John and company opted to relocate back to Kansas after narrowly escaping the devastating damage of Hurricane Katrina.
Upon returning to Kansas with Tim, his partner of 33 years, John dove back into work and rebuilding their home. John and Tim curated their home with their respective loves of antiques…and John seized upon the backyard and patio to fashion a blissful oasis of plant life, music, comfort, and joy. He was an avid gardener and plant lover, with the greenest of thumbs. (In fact, he’s never met a green plant he didn’t love…) He enjoyed cooking and grilling, particularly with bacon. John was a magnificent host and opened his home to many guests throughout the years. John had an enormously creative mind and excelled at knitting, crocheting, sewing, upholstering, interior design, and most recently, smaller crafting projects – he was a one-man Etsy store that never quuuite got around to selling! John was kind, thoughtful, helpful, and diligent. He made life better and was loved by all.
John is survived by his daughter, Alexandra Kuestersteffen (Jason Waltner); his partner Timothy Lambert; middle sister Mary Anne Kuestersteffen; youngest sister Jeanne Boyer née Kuestersteffen (Kevin Boyer); nephew Kyle Kuestersteffen (Becca Weber); nephew Jeremy Adkins; niece Julie Adkins (Felix Esser). He is predeceased by his parents Joseph and Shirley Kuestersteffen.
A celebration of John’s life will be held at the American Legion Post 370 at 7500 W 75th St, Overland Park, Kansas 66204 on Sunday, September 8, 2024, from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to:
Great Plains SPCA Pet Adoption Center
5424 Antioch Dr, Merriam, KS 66202 (913) 831-7722
Equality Kansas
Obituary published by Cremation Center of Kansas City.
