Mary Helen Stroh's Obituary
Mary Helen Stroh went home to be with the Lord on October 5, 2023, peacefully while she slept in her bedroom with her children nearby. Mary was born in Yantis, Texas, in 1934, to Virgil Edward Bland and Lela Maye Buckholt. She was named "Mary" after her maternal grandmother. She grew up principally in Texas, in and around Hunt County, with some time near Houston, and a few years in Guthrie, Oklahoma. She graduated from Greenville High School in Greenville, Texas, in 1952, and immediately got a job with the telephone company as a telephone operator. Her family and her job took her to Bakersfield, California, next. She met her husband of 65 years, Glenn Stroh, in February of 1957 in Bakersfield, California, as he was finishing up his time in the Air Force, and by June of 1957, she married him at Warren Baptist Church in Warren, Oregon. Along with Glenn, she raised three children, Brenda, Lincoln, and Kim, in St. Helens. When not raising a family, she was a school cook at Elementary Schools Condon, Yankton, and Deer Island, and at the St. Helens Junior High School.
Mary enjoyed being a mother, cooking and eating food, playing games, and putting puzzles together. She loved visiting and being with family. She traveled the nation over to see her parents, siblings, relatives, children, and grandchildren. She was a devout Christian. She enjoyed church and fellowshipping with other believers. She was happy to tell people about Jesus. When she found out she had stage 4 cancer in April of 2023, her attitude was one of anticipation to go to Heaven, see Jesus, and be with her husband and loved ones…mostly to see her husband. Her hospice nurse commented, “she never seen someone handle pancreatic cancer as well as she did.” Her attitude and beliefs carried her through her last five months. Also, during that time, she put together 70 puzzles that were glued together and proudly displayed in the garage. Her children wondered what Dad would have thought about that.
She was a hard worker, she kept an immaculate home, and she instilled in her children a strong work ethic. She enjoyed picking strawberries in the summer in Yankton as well as nuts and cones for extra money. She was a strong woman with strong beliefs – these same traits can be seen in her daughters and three granddaughters today, whom she is extremely proud of.
Mary is survived by her daughter, Brenda (with husband Dean); her son, Lincoln (with wife Tracy); five grandchildren: Jessica Stroh, Glenn Stroh II, Allison Stroh, Samual Schallhorn and Nicole Nicholas; and one great grandchild, Memphis Schallhorn.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Glenn (in 2022), and her youngest daughter, Kim (in 2016), her older sister, Barbara (in 2014), and younger brother, Don (in 2013).
A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at Warren Baptist Church. Please join family and friends to celebrate her life.
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