Jerome Leo STRANGE

February 17, 1942 - November 15, 2020

Strange, Jerome L. Fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church Sunday, November 15, 2020 at the age of 78. Beloved husband of Nancy Strange (nee Marfisi) for 56 wonderful years. Son of the late Harry and Virginia Strange (nee Herzog), Father of Jerome L. Strange II, Lisa Burke (Tim), Stacey Hennessy (Kevin). Grandfather of Brittany, T.J., and Julia Burke and Brendan and Gabrielle Hennessy. Dearest brother to Jim Strange (Jane), Judy Brda (Al), Jack Strange (Sue), JoAnne Cool (Bill Phillips) and Joey Strange, dear friend and golfing buddy to many. Jerry grew up in Pine Lawn where he attended St. Paul the Apostle grade school then became a 1960 graduate of CBC High School and a 1964 graduate of St. Louis University. Jerry had a love for all sports and had a strong desire to compete. His passion for golf started as a caddy at Norwood Hills and Glen Echo Country Clubs. In 1995, Jerry and Nancy bought a home in Whitmoor where he was known to play upwards of 264 rounds of golf in a year, while sinking 5 hole-in-ones in his lifetime. He was a proud member of the WCC ORF’s. Services: Funeral Mass will take place on Friday, November 27, 10:00am at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 1355 Motherhead Rd, Cottleville 63304. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association at apdaparkinson.org or to CBC High School at cbchs.org. Living a humble life : Luke Chapter 18 9 -14 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” As I sat down to write something about my Dad, I realized all he did and sacrificed for his family and that I could write a whole book on everything he did for anyone he came in contact with. He was always fair and honest and if you were looking for him to tell you what you wanted to hear, you were in for a rude awakening. He gave you a truthful answer and if you listened to him and thought about it, even though you might not of liked his answer at the time, he was usually right. Steel sharpens steel, he was not going to give you the easy path but he would steer you to the path that would help you succeed or conquer the fear that was holding you back. He always told me if you have to tell somebody how good you are at something you are not that good, when you are good at something people will tell you. He also said to learn how to take a compliment by thanking the person in a humble manor and play down the situation. Any of you who knew my Dad knew he was a very competitive person, from playing a game of Sorry or Trouble as a family as kids he played to win. My Dad and I had foot races on the fields, ice skating races, played one on one in basketball, played golf against each other, we played anything and everything against each other and he never let me win. When I finally did win at something you could see him beaming with pride because he knew that in life no one was going to give me anything and I would have to fight and claw my way through life. He was never given anything, he earned a basketball scholarship to CBC and won 2 state championships, D.C. Wilcutt his coach described him as the hardnosed point guard who controlled the flow of the game and refused to lose attitude lead his team to those 2 state titles. He earned a full scholarship to St. Louis University to play division 1 basketball and was the first member of his family to earn a college degree, his whole family could not have been more proud of him, he refused to lose. Side note his claim to fame at SLU was he held Oscar Robinson the Big O. to 38 points, only people of a certain age will understand this reference. So referencing the above scripture my Dad never told you how great of an athlete he was, but everywhere I went I heard the stories. He is the guy you want taking and making the last 10 foot putt in a 4 man scramble to win, the guy shooting the last 2 free throws with no time on the clock at the end of the basketball game to win the game. He thrived and lived for the pressure to be a great dad, brother, grandpa, friend, he was the guy who would always be there for you no matter what, he always came through. Although at the end maybe he thought he was unworthy of heaven because we all sin, but that is what Jesus Christ died on the cross for. We are all sinners and the only way to get to heaven is to believe Jesus died on the cross for you and your sins, that is right you he died for you GRACE (God’s Rewards at Christ Expense.) He lived his life competing running the race of life, as hard as he could, never giving up but always staying humble and never backing down from a challenge. Our new world of everyone look at me could learn a lot from my Dad, he was not that Pharisee telling everyone how great he was, he was that humble man who kept his head down and worked hard and earned everything he received never flaunting any of his immense talents. I am telling my Dad Jerome Strange how great he was and I hope you think so to. A Proud Son of Jerome Strange, Jerry Strange II