Strait, Lyle "Ben" (1933-2018)

STRAIT, BAUCHSPIES, HEEREN, BELL SHIRLEY, BENNETT, LINVILLE, DONOVAN, VAN MEETEREN, SCHEEPSTRA, THOMAS, AGESON, TILLE

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 8/30/2018 at 13:29:28

Lyle "Ben" Strait
June 14, 1933 - August 8, 2018

Lyle "Ben" Strait, age 85, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on August 8, 2018, at the Good Samaritan Society in Holstein, Iowa.

Ben was born on June 14, 1933, Flag Day, in Rock Rapids, Iowa, to Lee and Lily (Bauchspies) Strait. His children always remembered his birthday after seeing all the flags flying. As a youth, he was baptized and confirmed into the Methodist Church and remained an active member all his life. He attended school in Rock Rapids, Iowa, graduating in 1951.

Having completed high school, he worked for the Bell telephone company on a line crew. In 1953, he was called to serve in the U.S. Army. After spending six months training in communications at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, he shipped out to Korea where he was assigned the job of company clerk because he could type. Honorably discharged in 1955, he resumed his work with Northwestern Bell.

On August 19th, 1956, Ben married Shirley Heeren at the Rock Rapids Methodist Church. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position as a combination man in Hawarden, Iowa, where he and Shirley spent the next ten years and added three children to their family. During this time, he enjoyed remodeling their home and began a love affair with camping and traveling with his family. In addition, he, actively, participated in the Jaycees and enjoyed bowling and golf. Indeed, he was especially proud of the two holes-in-one he managed to score over the years.

In 1966, the family moved to Storm Lake, Iowa, where Ben received a promotion to central office foreman. In 1970, Ben and Shirley welcomed a daughter into their family. In 1990, he accepted an early retirement package from the telephone company and drove a school bus for the next five years. Throughout the years, Ben joined several organizations. A lifetime member of the Pioneers, a service group for the telephone company, he, also, belonged to the Elks, the VFW, and the Lions Club where he served for several years as treasurer. Moreover, as an avid golfer, he had to belong to the Alta Golf and Country Club.

Ben had always wanted to go on RAGBRAI, so at the age of 64, a friend talked him into going. He completed the trip all right but complained that his tent leaked and that he needed better equipment. After adding more gears to his bike and getting a new tent, he completed his second RAGBRAI experience the following year. Then, just for fun, he did it one more time in 1999 at the age of 66.

Ben and Shirley loved to travel. After retiring, they went on several bus trips, especially enjoying their sojourns to Alaska and New Orleans. They, also, became snow birds, flying south to Arizona regularly.

He is survived by Shirley, his wife of (almost) 62 years; his children: Rex Strait, of Marion, Iowa, Randy Strait, and his wife, Sharon, of Lexington, Illinois, and Nancy Bell and Thia Rose, both of Iowa City, Iowa; his grandchildren: Rachael Bennett, and her husband, David, of Greenville, South Carolina, Michelle Strait, of Marion, Iowa, Jessica Linville, and her husband, Wes, of Marion, Iowa, Adam Strait, and his wife, Alissa, of Chenoa, Illinois, Lisa Donovan, and her husband, Tim, of Normal, Illinois, and Nate Strait, and his wife, Melissa, of Bartonville, Illinois; ten great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Kay Heeren, of Overland Park, Kansas; a brother-in-law, Vern Heeren, of St. Paul, Minnesota; four nieces: Cathy Van Meeteren, Pam Scheepstra, Mary Thomas, and Anne Ageson; and a nephew, Tom Tille; as well as by other family members and a host of friends. Ben was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Leota Tille; and a nephew, Mark Tille.

Memorial services for Ben will be held Saturday, August 18, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Storm Lake. Visitation will take place on Friday, August 17, 2018, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or the United Methodist Church in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, Storm Lake, Iowa, 2018.

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