Obituary for John Kris Gandillon

John Kris Gandillon, 70, of Eureka, Missouri, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on June 12, 2026. Born in Gainesville, Texas, Kris lived a life defined by deep faith, devoted family, and dedicated service.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sherri Brown Gandillon of Eureka, MO; their three sons and families: Joe Gandillon of Anna, TX; Jeff and Becky Gandillon of Fenton, MO; and John and Lindsey Gandillon of Ellisville, MO; and six beloved grandchildren: Tatum and Roan, Edie and Lou, and Bella and Ollie. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Charles D. “Chuck” Gandillon and Kathy Barnes Gandillon of Tyler, TX; niece Kristin Hanks and husband Wayne of Austin, TX; nephew Dr. Collin Gandillon, MD, and wife Lauren Jo of Lubbock, TX; and many extended family members including brother-in-law Ronny Brown and wife Paula, niece Dee Ann Abner and husband Mark, nephews Donnie Watson and wife Vickie, Daryl Watson and wife Tammy, and cousins Dee Blanton and Gayle Blanton-Elliott of Gainesville, TX and Kay Stevens-Price of Fort Worth, TX.

Kris was preceded in death by his parents, Charles D. “Buddy” Gandillon Sr. and Mary Sue Demory Gandillon of Gainesville, TX. Though the family will miss him deeply, they rejoice knowing he is now in the presence of his Savior and that they will one day reunite in glory.

Early Life and Faith

Kris spent his first five years at 1818 Mill Street in Gainesville before the family moved to 701 Melody Lane. He attended First Presbyterian Kindergarten and Thomas A. Edison Elementary, then Gainesville Junior High followed by Gainesville High School, where he was an honor student, golfer, band member, school photographer, and Editor-in-Chief of The Leopard Tale school newspaper.

Two major 1960s events shaped his lifelong interests: the John F. Kennedy assassination (which he studied extensively) and the Space Race. In 1968, he began attending First Baptist Church with his maternal grandparents. He met Sherri Kay Brown in the fall of 1973 during his senior year—it was love at first sight! Sherri invited him to Tabernacle Baptist Church the following Sunday, where he thrived in the youth group and choir. In early 1974, Kris accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized.

After graduating from Gainesville High in 1974, he worked at Southland Paint Company while attending Cooke County College. Kris and Sherri married on June 4, 1976, in the First Baptist Church chapel. They supported each other through eight years of night school across four colleges while working full-time, both earning B.S. degrees in Business and Public Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1982.

Family and Ministry

Their sons arrived in 1983 (Joe), 1984 (Jeff), and 1990 (John). The family were active members of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, where Kris sang in the choir, participated in the “Saturday Nights in Dallas” concert series, and was ordained as a Deacon in 1990.

In 1993, they moved to Wildwood, Missouri, for Kris’s new role at American Technology Corporation. They became founding members of West County Community Church, where Kris served as an Elder, choir member, men’s Bible study leader, and AWANA director for seven years. He joined two short-term mission trips to Kursk, Russia in 1998–99 to help introduce the AWANA program. From 2002–2009, Kris and Sherri served on the staff of Christian Family Day with the St. Louis Cardinals. Since 2004, they attended Rockwood Bible Church, where Kris continued in the choir and occasional Bible teaching.

Career

Kris enjoyed a 51-year career in Information Technology, progressing from Programmer to Chief Information Officer. He worked at other notable companies including Texas Oil & Gas, Super Club, Albert Fisher Foods, American Technology, WorkNet, Home Design Alternatives, The Outsource Group, Parallon, and Mastercard (from which he retired on January 31, 2025). Between corporate roles, he provided IT consulting and contract services.

Interests and Legacy

Kris was always interested in current events. For 30 years, he participated in, helped administrate, moderate and oversee, TB2K, one of the longest running discussion forums on the Internet. Kris was also an avid hunter, fisherman, and target shooter. He enjoyed golf and bowling in his younger years and was a talented musician who played trumpet, French horn, baritone, drums, and dabbled in guitar and piano. A lifelong sports fan, he loved Texas A&M Aggie football, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and Blues hockey. In later years, he found joy in cooking and, above all, in time spent with family and grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Journey West County in Manchester, MO

on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a service to follow at 11:00 a.m.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at Fairview Cemetery in Gainesville, TX, where his urn will be interred in the Gandillon family plot.