Judge John C. Holstein dies at 79

Judge John C. Holstein, a Springfield native who served as chief justice on the Missouri Supreme Court, has died.

Holstein, 79, died Dec. 31, according to his obituary posted to GormanScharpf.com. His cause of death was not disclosed in the obituary.

Holstein served on the state Supreme Court 1989-2002, leading it as chief justice 1995-97.

"He authored over 300 majority opinions and participated in over 1,500 cases before retiring from the court in 2002 to return to private practice," his obituary reads.

Following his retirement from the bench, Holstein worked as a Springfield arbitrator and mediator at Polsinelli, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Holstein in 2022 was inducted into the Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame, and he received alumni and legacy awards from entities such as Missouri State University and the Missouri Bar.