Obituary of Edward Michael Strauss
Strauss, Edward
Edward Strauss passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving children on March 29, 2022 at the age of 98.
Eddie was a genuine part of The Greatest Generation. War Hero, modest, tough, and finding his pursuit of happiness in marrying the woman of his dreams and spending 74 years together building a successful and happy middle-class family of 7 successful children.
But the road to his happiness went through some very tough times. Born as one of 12 children in a one room Northern Ontario house near the end of the Spanish Flu Pandemic. With the advent of the Great Depression things became unbearable. Eddie and his siblings were orphaned and scattered into the neophyte orphanage system of Northern Ontario. Then WW2 began and Canada agreed to support Great Britain with volunteers and conscripts. Eddie had just turned 18 and decided to enlist in the air force instead of being conscripted and forced into the army or navy. Joining the RCAF gave Eddie a sense of belonging. He was part of a team that looked out for each other. He chose to put himself in harm's way and to do ugly things with the best and correct intentions.
When Ed returned home from the war, he did not indulge in swagger. It seems he did not boast or hate. He got on with living, tried to protect those around him from the ugliness, and prayed it not happen again. He held tight to his humanity when that was hard to do. We lost one of The Greatest Generation. They fought hard and brave in far off lands then returned on mass. They married in record numbers and gave birth to another distinctive generation, the Baby Boomers. They stayed true to their values of personal responsibility, duty, honour, and faith.
With great pride Eddie leaves a growing legacy of 7 children, 14 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.
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