ST. LOUIS _ The coronavirus shutdown scrubbed Tom St. John's blowout birthday party _ and the surprise visit from his son, flying in from Korea _ weeks before April 8, when St. John turned 80. So daughter Gina Woodard, still hoping for a small surprise instead of a big one, called STL Yard Cards.
The Des Peres, Mo., company showed up the night before the big day to spell out "Happy 80th, Grandpa Tom" in 2-foot-tall blue and black letters on his Affton lawn.
"This is like a stealth operation," said Woodard, from Kirkwood, who placed a second order the same week to celebrate her son's 11th birthday. "You just wake up, and they're magically there."
