Jay Strohl Obituary

Jay Harris Strohl

Dec 24, 1934 - Jul 3, 2023

Mason, MI

Jay Harris Strohl, 88, of Mason, Michigan, died Monday, July 3, 2023, at home after a tenacious fight with heart failure.

Jay was born Dec. 24, 1934, in Fremont, and from Fremont Ross High School in 1953. He worked full- and part-time at Baumann Chevrolet in Fremont for 15 years. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Bowling Green State University. In 1963, he began as the choral director at Perkins High School in Sandusky where his choral groups earned excellent and superior ratings at music contests sponsored by Ohio Music Education Association. He was the musical director of the 1968 Miss Ohio Pageant at Cedar Point.

Jay played trombone in jazz/Dixieland groups throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Florida. After receiving a master's degree in educational administration from BGSU, Jay moved to Lansing, Michigan, where he became the Director of Music at Lansing Eastern High School. His high school men's ensemble was named the best in Michigan at the 1972 Michigan Music Educators Conference. Jay earned a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University and directed the MSU Men's Glee Club from 1971-1974. Upon completing his Educational Specialist degree from MSU, he became a principal in the Jackson Public Schools in Jackson, Michigan.

In 1983, he formed his own company, Educational Tours, Inc., a student group travel company that specialized in arranging trips for school classes, choirs, and bands. After retiring in 1990, he enjoyed planning personal trips, often seeking destinations known for his other passion - good food and desserts! In 2001, he organized and directed the Perkins Alumni and Friends Choir which he directed for 14 years. Jay was inducted into the Fremont Ross Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Perkins Hall of Fame in 2015. He and his wife wintered in Bradenton, Florida, for the past 30 years.

Jay is survived by his soulmate and wife of 46 years, Ruth Lindsley Strohl, whom he married Sept. 25, 1976, in Lansing, Michigan; son, Daniel Strohl; daughter, Susan Strohl; brothers, Don Wolf of Port Clinton and John Wolf of Defiance; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Chuck and Peg Lindsley Kingsley; and brother-in-law, Dave Hime, all of Huron; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harris Strohl in 1990 and Ethel Harger Strohl Wolf Sondergeld in 1999; stepfathers, Delphin Wolf in 1966 and Woodrow Sondergeld in 1997; son, Mark Strohl in 1984; sisters, JoAnne Wolf Smith Johnston in 2002 and Patricia Strohl Sorg Dewey Bowling in 2004; daughter-in-law, Patricia Boss Strohl in 2009; sisters-in-law, Linda Spears Wolf in 2018, Linda Liska Wolf in 2020, and Jan Lindsley Hime in 2022; mother-in-law, Margaret Hart Lindsley in 1994; and father-in-law, Howard Lindsley in 1995.

Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at Groff Funeral Homes and Crematory, 1607 E. Perkins Ave., Sandusky. Jay's funeral will be 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the funeral home with Pastor Stacy Lauer-Scovanner presiding. Visitation for his Michigan friends will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, 2023, at Estes-Leadley Funeral Home, Holt location, 2121 Cedar St., Holt, Michigan.

Instead of flowers, memorials may be sent to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Northern Ohio Chapter, 425 Literacy Rd. Suite 100, Cleveland, Ohio, 44113, Perkins Alumni and Friends Association, PO Box 259, Sandusky, Ohio, 44871-0259, or charity of one's choice.

Condolences may be shared online at www.grofffuneralhomes.com.