William Henry Stratman

William Henry "Bill" Stratman, age 90, of Vienna, departed this life on Monday, February 6, 2017, in the Missouri Veterans Home, St. James. He was born on April 16, 1926, on the family farm near Vienna, a son of Henry Joseph and Pauline A. (Richter) Stratman, A 1944 graduate of Vienna High School, Bill was a World War II United States Army veteran. He had served in India then "honorably discharged" at the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was a member of the Visitation Catholic Church, Vienna, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8045, Argyle. Bill was active in his community being a former member of the Maries County Historical Society, the Vienna Lions Club, Argyle Knights of Columbus Council 2047, serving as County Chairman of the Maries County Democrat Committee, and serving on the steering committee that formed the Maries County Library. He was a business entrepreneur creating employment for the community by operating a sawmill and wood preservative plant while also pioneering the purchase of Fescue Seed in Maries County and running a cattle farm. Bill had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening and sharing his harvest with his friends. Descended from two German Catholic families, who immigrated to Maries County in the 1870's, he was of the first generation that did not learn to speak German. Bill believed in higher education and attended the University of Missouri on the G.I. Bill. He would hitch-hike to and from Columbia when he needed to come home for semester breaks and drove a cab in Columbia to augment his college living expenses. Bill would admonish his children to "crack the books" when dropping them off at school and inspired each of them to pursue advanced academic degrees. Being the youngest son in a family of seven children and having his mother die when he was only 10 years old, Bill was raised with the guidance of his siblings, especially his sister, Margaret, developing an independent and competitive spirit. He played varsity basketball in high school and excelled in tennis, bridge, and ping-pong. Growing up on the family farm, his first mode of independent transportation was riding a horse with this activity being something he enjoyed well into his 70's. Those left to mourn the passing of Bill include his five children: Sheila Stratman of Jefferson City, Greg Stratman and wife Laura of Vienna, Steven Stratman of Palm Springs, California, Belinda Reese and husband Greg of West Hartford, Connecticut, and Sara Thimmesch and husband Dan of Lawrence, Kansas; the mother of his children, Kay Stratman, of Jefferson City; his 10 grandchildren: Kate Stratman of Woodland Hills, California, Amanda Reichel of Freeburg, Jonathan Stratman of Springfield, Andrew Stratman and Nathan Stratman, both of Vienna, David Paradine and Zachary Reese, West Hartford, Connecticut, Erin Thimmesch, Washington, D.C., and Brian Thimmesch and Brandon Thimmesch, both of Lawrence, Kansas; his three great-grandchildren: Gavin Stratman Satterfield, Tyler Reichel, and Brayden Reichel, all of Freeburg; nephews; nieces; and a host of other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Henry, on May 17, 1951; his mother, Pauline, on January 31, 1937; his siblings: Leo Stratman, Agnes Schwartze, Alphonse Stratman, Margaret Fennewald, Reverend Ambrose Stratman, and Florentine Brooks; and a special friend, Gretchen White. Visitation for Mr. William H. "Bill" Stratman will be held from 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2017, with a Rosary Service at 4:30 p.m., followed by a Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Service by Argyle Post 8045 at 7:00 p.m., in the Vienna Chapel of the Birmingham-Martin Funeral Home, 406 South Main Street, Vienna, MO 65582. The Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. William H. "Bill" Stratman will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, 2017, in the Visitation Catholic Church, Vienna, with the Rev. Matthew Flatley as the celebrant. Interment with full military honors will follow in the Visitation Cemetery, Vienna, under the direction of the Birmingham-Martin Funeral Home, Vienna, with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren serving as honorary pallbearers. Memorial contributions are suggested by the family of Mr. William H. "Bill" Stratman to the Special Learning Center, the Maries County Library, or the Visitation Inter-Parish School with envelopes available at the funeral home or in care of Birmingham-Martin Funeral Home, P.O. Box 250, Vienna, MO 65582.