Groff Funeral Homes
1607 East Perkins Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: 419-626-3632
Fax: 419-626-2445
Email: info@grofffuneralhomes.com
Website: http://www.grofffuneralhomes.com
View All Obituaries from Groff Funeral Homes
Jay Harris Strohl, 88, of Mason, Michigan, was born December 24, 1934, in Fremont, Ohio.
He passed away July 3, 2023, at home after a tenacious fight with heart failure.
He graduated from Fremont Ross High School in 1953, where he was active in both band and choir. After graduation, his lifelong friendship with Al Baumann began with a successful career selling new and used cars at Baumann Chevrolet, where he worked full and part-time for fifteen years. In 1962, he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Bowling Green State University. After teaching in Gibsonburg, Ohio, and then Hayes School in Fremont, he was hired in 1963 by the Perkins Schools in Sandusky, Ohio, to direct the high school choir. He often remarked that his years at Perkins were the fondest of his teaching career.
During his tenure at Perkins, the high school choir steadily grew to a robust group of over 100 voices making up the Varsity Choir, Concert Choir, Girls' Chorus, and various smaller men's and women's ensembles. In 1967, his Varsity Choir and Girls' Chorus were the first large choral groups in the school's history to earn superior ratings at the state-level competition of the Ohio Music Education Association. The award was repeated in 1968 for the Girl's Chorus. He was the musical director of the 1968 Miss Ohio Pageant held at Cedar Point and guest conducted the Firelands Chorus. He played trombone in jazz/Dixieland groups throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Florida. After receiving a master's degree in educational administration from Bowling Green State University in 1968, Jay moved to Lansing, Michigan, where he became the Director of Music at Lansing Eastern High School for seven years. His high school men's ensemble was named the best in Michigan at the 1972 Michigan Music Educators Conference, the first time in the organization's history that a men's ensemble was chosen for the award. Jay earned a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University and directed the Men's Glee Club at MSU from 1971-1974, taking them on their first European concert tour. Upon completing his Educational Specialist degree from MSU, he accepted an administrative position with the Jackson Public Schools in Jackson, Michigan, where he also served as president of the Jackson County School Administrators Association and directed the Jackson Chorale.
In 1983, his interest in travel led to the formation of his own company, Educational Tours, Inc., a student group travel company that specialized in arranging trips for school classes, choirs, and bands. He combined travel with performance opportunities, providing thousands of students with unique educational experiences throughout the U.S./Canada, and Europe. After retiring in 1990, Jay continued his love of music and travel. His favorite saying, "Pack my lunch in a road map," was at the heart of his retirement endeavors. He enjoyed planning personal trips to various parts of the United States, often seeking destinations known for his other passion - good food and desserts! He organized and directed the Perkins Alumni and Friends Choir for fourteen years when the Perkins Alumni and Friends Association began their Hall of Fame banquets in 2001. He enjoyed seeing former students who returned to sing in the group. He edited the music for and narrated the historical DVD developed for the Perkins 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2010. Jay was inducted into the Fremont Ross Music Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Perkins Hall of Fame in 2015. He and his wife wintered in Bradenton, Florida, for the past 30 years, during which time he enjoyed volunteering with the Braden River High School choral program. Jay had a love of travel, education, and the arts that positively impacted his life and the lives of so many others.
Jay is survived by his soulmate and wife of 46 years, Ruth Lindsley Strohl, whom he married in Lansing, Michigan, on September 25, 1976. They were inseparable, working as a team in all endeavors throughout their life together. They enjoyed traveling and especially their annual visits to Carlsbad, California. In addition to his wife, Jay is survived by his son, Daniel Strohl, and daughter, Susan Strohl. Also surviving are brothers Don Wolf, Port Clinton, Ohio, and John Wolf, Defiance, Ohio; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Chuck and Peg Lindsley Kingsley; and brother-in-law, Dave Hime, all of Huron, Ohio, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harris Strohl in 1990 and Ethel Harger Strohl Wolf Sondergeld in 1999; stepfathers, Delphin Wolf in 1966 and Woodrow Sondergeld in 1997; son, Mark Strohl in 1984; sisters, JoAnne Wolf Smith Johnston in 2002, Patricia Strohl Sorg Dewey Bowling in 2004; daughter-in-law, Patricia Boss Strohl in 2009; sisters-in-law, Linda Spears Wolf in 2018, Linda Liska Wolf in 2020, and Jan Lindsley Hime in 2022; his mother-in-law Margaret Hart Lindsley in 1994, and father-in-law, Howard Lindsley in 1995.
Visitation will be Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 4-7 p.m. at Groff Funeral Homes and Crematory, 1607 E. Perkins Ave., Sandusky, Ohio. Jay's funeral service will be Wednesday, July 12, 2023 beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the funeral home with Pastor Stacy Lauer-Scovanner presiding. Visitation for his Michigan friends will be Thursday, July 20, 2023 from 4-7 p.m. at Estes-Leadley Funeral Home, Holt location, 2121 Cedar St., Holt, Michigan.
Instead of flowers, memorials may be sent to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Northern Ohio Chapter, 425 Literacy Rd. Suite 100, Cleveland, OH 44113; Perkins Alumni and Friends Association, PO Box 259, Sandusky, OH 44871-0259, or to the charity of one's choice.
Condolences may be shared online at www.grofffuneralhomes.com.
