Herman A. Strub 1852-1930

STRUB, BOWERS, PRATT, LEE, SCHMIDT, EBERT

Posted By: Mary Hitchcock (email)
Date: 8/2/2008 at 14:40:47

Iowa City Press Citizen, January 27, 1930

Herman A. Strub Funeral Service will be Held on Wednesday Morning at St. Mary’s

Mr. Herman A. Strub, 77, the founder and president of the Strub company, and one of the oldest merchants of this community, died at 5 o’clock Monday morning of a paralytic stroke. He had been ill for some time, but had remained active in the store up until the first of this year.

Mr. Strub would have celebrated the 59th anniversary of the establishment of Strub’s on March 4th of this year.

The pioneer merchant was born April 5, 1852, in New York City, and came to Iowa City with his parents when but three years of age and resided here for the remainder of his life. He attended the schools here and the normal school, which was located in Iowa City at the time, but Mr. Strub was largely a self-made man.

After finishing his schooling, he first went to work for John Wilde, in a small store on Davenport Street. In 1871, Mr. Strub worked in the department store of J.D. Bowers and in 1877 he became a partner in the firm with A.W. Pratt and Walter Lee, managing Mr. Bower’s interest when he went to Kansas.

In 1879, Mr. Strub bought out Bowers and the firm became Pratt, Lee and Strub. On retirement of Mr. Lee, in 1884, Walter Pratt took over his father’s share and the partnership was Pratt and Strub. In 1898, Mr. Strub bought out his last partner, and continued in the business alone.

He is survived by his widow, of the family home at 212 East Market Street; two children, Herman, a student at St. Ambrose college, Davenport, and Mary, at home. Three sisters, Mrs. G. W. Schmidt, Mrs. Ed. Ebert, and Agnes Strub, all of Iowa City; and one brother, Mr. Frank Strub, of Iowa City, also survive.

Mr. Strub was a member of St. Mary’s church, of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Society, and of the Knights of Columbus and the Order of Elks. Funeral services will be held Wednesday morning at 9 o’clock at St. Mary’s Church and burial will be in St. Joseph’s cemetery. The remains are at the McGovern Funeral Home, and will be taken to the family home on Tuesday, until the time of the funeral.