Merle L. Strouse

Merle L. Strouse, aged 87, is now resting peacefully with God. He was born March 8, 1936, in Muscatine, Iowa, and passed from this earth November 23, 2023, in Chesterfield, Missouri, surrounded by family. He was the son of Merle and Arlene Strause. His name on the hospital birth certificate was erroneously spelled with an "o" instead of an "a", but he decided he liked the change and kept it. Merle grew up in Muscatine, Iowa, spending his early childhood at the "Old Garfield" school, and graduating from Muscatine High School in 1954. After high school, he joined the United States Air Force, serving as base photographer in Morocco, and was Honorably Discharged in 1957. Merle returned to his home town and attended the University of Iowa on the GI Bill, earning a degree in Civil Engineering. Later he served as director of building trades at Muscatine Community College until embarking on a new career path in city administration in 1975. Merle's first administration position was in Harlan, Iowa, staying until 1977. From there, the family moved to Sidney, Nebraska, then to Platteville, Wisconsin, in 1979, and finally to Rolla, Missouri, where he served as City Administrator from 1986 until retiring in 1997.

His most important jobs, though, were as husband, dad, and papa. On June 7, 1957 he married the love of his life, his high school sweetheart, Beverly "Bev" Payne, and together they raised three children, Teresa, Tamara, and Marshall. Merle and Bev were a team throughout their marriage, helping each other through their most difficult times. Bev never complained (well almost never!) about all their moves and helped the family thrive in all of their new homes.

More than anything Merle loved being a Papa and spending time with the "grands." He was able to watch the older ones grow into adults and to share a beer or an inappropriate joke with Shayla, Payne, and Abby. He was also able to spend time fishing with Maxwell, Evan, and Ian, and telling them about his younger days.

Dad was not one to totally "retire". To save his and Bev's sanity, he decided to try substitute teaching. He fell in love with this second career and spent more than 20 years in different classroom settings and schools. He spent most of his time at St. James High School, often filling in for the agriculture, woodworking, and metal shop teachers, explaining that many of the students reminded him of himself at that age. It was amazing to see how much he enjoyed being around teenagers and providing life lessons and crazy (false) stories they should not have believed!

Throughout their marriage, Merle and Bev enjoyed traveling with family, visiting many areas of the US, as well as Australia, and many parts of Europe. The later trips were with a large extended family and usually proved to be quite memorable! Being an avid reader of all things historical, especially of the World War II era, these trips afforded him the opportunity to see the sites he read about, including the very moving beaches of Normandy and the Normandy American Cemetery in France, as well as the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. In between these trips, vacations were often spent at the beach where he could soak up the sunshine and enjoy family time in a relaxed setting.

Lastly, we believe dad was a medical miracle, having lived 48 years after having his first heart attack at the age of 39. We would especially like to thank his many physicians who kept him going for all these years, Dr. James Spadaro, Dr. Bonnie Ranney, Dr. Jennifer O'Malley, and Dr. Craig Reiss. Without their expertise and the advances in the medical field, our time with him would have been much shorter.

Merle was preceded in death by both his parents, as well as his siblings, Carl, Charlotte, and Sandra. He leaves behind to mourn his passing his wife Beverly, of Ballwin, MO, his daughters Teresa (Teri) Strouse (Alex Asiedu), and Tamara (Tami) Strouse-Sawyer (Richard Sawyer), his son Marshall Strouse, (Kelly), grandchildren Shayla Strouse, Payne Sawyer (fiancé Sami), Abby Sawyer, Maxwell Strouse, Evan Strouse, and Ian Strouse. He also leaves behind his beloved sister-in-law and brother-in-law Judy and James Barnhart of Muscatine, Iowa, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Two visitation services will be held; the first on Friday, December 15, from 4-6:30 pm and Saturday at 10:30 am, with the memorial service immediately following at 11:30 am. All services will be held at Hope Lutheran Church, 612 N. State St., Rolla, Missouri. (Please use the State Street entrance).

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Wounded Warriors Foundation, a scholarship fund at St. James High School (please make checks to St. James Schools and put Strouse in the memo), or a charitable organization of your choice.


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