Obituary of William Ray Strate

William Ray Strate passed away at his home on November 10, 2013 at the age of 84. He had been struggling the last two years with failing kidneys and recently with heart problems. William (Bill) was born in Twin Falls Idaho and at a young age his family moved to Darby Montana. He lived on farms and ranches in Montana's Bitterroot Valley and graduated from high school in Florence, Montana. He worked on farms, ranches, and logging camps in those younger years. He enjoyed riding horses, hunting and fishing. After graduation, he moved with his family to Santa Cruz and started working in the construction fields. Soon he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War where he attained the rank of sergeant and learned to cook for big groups of men. After returning to the states he went back to construction work and married his wife Margie. They had two children Nancy and Bill Jr. He continued working construction and was a member of the Bricklayers Union for 40 years. His hobbies were hunting, fishing, gardening, and yard work. After retirement and becoming a widow, he became very active in volunteer work. He was a lifetime member of the Grey Bears organization and has been recognized as Volunteer of the Year. He also received recognition from the California State Legislature for his volunteer work at Grey Bears. He spent many hours collecting food from stores and driving a delivery truck for them. In later years he hunted less but continued fishing and gardening along with his volunteer work. He was active and believed in hard honest work. He was always building, making something, or fixing something. He was preceded in death by his parents, John & Lavon Strate, and his brother John and Sister Barbara, and his wife Margie. He is survived by his two children, Nancy Jerome of Soquel, his son Bill Strate Jr, and his wife Leona of Spokane WA., two grandchildren, Christina Bruse and Jaclyn Schmidt, and his great grandson Aiden Bruse. He looked serious but did enjoy a laugh. He was always known as honest, generous, and a hard worker. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Wednesday November 13, 2013, at Santa Cruz Memorial Oakwood Chapel, 3301 Paul Sweet Rd. Santa Cruz, CA 95065. We suggest that in lieu of flowers, that donation be made to National Kidney Foundation, Hospice of Santa Cruz, or Breast Cancer Research.