Obituary of H. John Strom

Harold John Strom, 96, Houston, TX, died peacefully on July 25, 2023, surrounded by his family. Soon thereafter, the clouds parted, and God ushered his faithful servant into heaven.

John was born on May 9, 1927, the oldest of four children to Harold and Myrtle Strom. He was raised on a small farm in Prosit, MN, 120 mi. from the Canadian border. As a youth, he learned that life was hard, especially growing up during the Depression without electricity, indoor plumbing and brutal winter weather. The family ODT did have two seats. He attended one building schoolhouse for grades K-12. He joined the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Life Scout. His HS graduating class had 7 students. After high school, Uncle Sam called, and John proudly served in 1945-47 with other WW II Occupation Troops in Belgium and Germany. After the war, the GI Bill allowed him to enroll at UM Duluth and he graduated in three years with a double major in business and psychology. John loved to socialize and met Bobbie at the Pine Lodge dance hall in Scanlon. They married in Jan 1952, left the Northern Minnesota frozen tundra for Los Angeles, and embarked on a 40-year property tax career with Standard Oil and Shell Oil. Starting in Torrance, CA, he, Bobbie and their four kids had work stayovers in Sunnyvale, CA, Roselle, IL and Kingwood, TX starting in 1976. He finally retired from Shell in 1991 and never looked back.

Johnnie got his musical rhythm from his mother who was an accomplished ragtime piano player. Besides playing the bones for 70+ years, he also played the accordion. He was an accomplished dancer, jitterbug being his favorite, a car mechanic, woodworker (he had 31 screwdrivers to cover every need), and socializer. His favorite saying was, “here’s to longer bars and bigger bottles.” On a MN family summer vacation in the 60’s, he drove 2,300 miles to Los Angeles with a cracked gas tank held together only by chewing gum, which he changed out daily. He was a master of staring adversity in the face and coming up with solutions. John and Bobbie enjoyed bowling, bridge, fishing, traveling domestically and internationally, summer vacations with relatives and spending time visiting their grandchildren.

After Bobbie died in 1999, he was blessed to meet and marry Ruth Binkerd “Binky” Stephenson in 2008. They were partners in life, and enjoyed traveling anywhere and everywhere, played many bridge games, jitterbug dancing, and socializing with many families and friends.

John was preceded in death by parents Harold and Myrtle Strom, his first wife, Anna Mae “Bobbie” (nee McIntire) and younger brother David Strom.

He is survived by his second wife Binky Strom; four children, Suzanne, Michael (Donna), Paula and Lori (Lane); grandsons Matthew (Julie), Jonathan (Emily), Jacob, Chip (Ann), John; granddaughters Rachael (Benjamin) and Carolyn (Tyler); great grandchildren Olivia, Norah, Luke, Sophia, Ruth, Charlie and Sam; stepsons Blake, Kittredge; stepdaughter Ruth (Craig) and children Wells, Parker. Also surviving are John’s beloved sisters Rosemarie and Merna.

In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, 901 Congress Ave., Austin, TX. 78701, The Church of St. John the Divine, ATTN: Marty Allday, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX. 77019, check payable to Troop 55, or the American Legion, PO Box 7077, Indianapolis, IN. 46207.

A visitation with the family will take place on Saturday, July 29, 2023 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Joseph J. Earthman Generations, 234 Westcott Street in Houston.

A funeral service will be held at The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Boulevard, August 1, 2023 at 3:00 p.m., in Houston. 

John will be laid to rest with full military honors at Houston National Cemetery.