Esther Caroline Strohmeyer

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Esther Caroline Strohmeyer, 94, of Rushville, Ohio, who departed this life peacefully on September 30, 2026, at the Pickering House Hospice Center. Esther was born on December 26, 1931, in Lancaster, Ohio, to the late Clement A. and Theresa Anna (Joos) Fox.

Esther lived a full life centered on hard work, devoted family ties, and an adventurous spirit with a smile and wit. She was a highly skilled and competitive Euchre player. She grew up as a happy farm girl on her parent's dairy farm working alongside her brothers and sisters doing every job that had to be done. She was never afraid to get her hands dirty. She was a Bobby Soxer while attending Lancaster High School where she was very popular with both her girlfriends (who she remained friends with her entire life) and the young men as well, with whom there was no shortage of admirers. Esther was happiest being a very busy hostess with a house full of friends and family who all had a plate full of delicious food that she spent the night before and the whole morning getting ready. Then, during the after dinner card game, her triumph would be to have a Euchre hand with the Right Bower, the Left Bower, and lots of trump and high off cards; this is when she would have a wicked mile then announce " OKAY GIRLS GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR BEST TRUMP CARDS I'M GOING TO SHOOT THE MOON!!" Then she would wipe out every trick with incredible skill and no mercy!

Cooking, which was both an art and a science for her was a way to express her love for her family and friends. If you didn't clean your plate and get seconds something was wrong! And if there was something wrong she could make a pressure cooker of German vegetable soup, from her mother's recipe, that could clean out any cold or flu!

Esther strongly felt that everyone, especially herself, had to have a purpose and do a job. This ranged from milking her father-in- laws Holsteins on freezing cold nights in the barn shortly after her marriage on April 27, 1957 to her husband David Strohmeyer, making dinner aka lunch for the 4 to 6 hired men who had come over to work of bailing hay and assisting in the harvest season, when the boys were still too young to do the farm work and raising vegetables in the farm garden and doing canning for the winter , then changing into a nice dress to run Tupperware and Avon parties for extra money with the girls. To help pay the bills she went to work at Anchor Hocking, Plant 2, as a ware inspector working the 11 to 7 shift then come home in time to get breakfast and get her boys out in time to meet the school bus - and if all of that wasn't enough she also was a den mother for the Cub scouts and was on the PTA. She retired from Anchor Hocking in 1987. But she really couldn't stay retired. She went on to bring joy to many while working at Big Bear's Sweet Shop and Annie's Cheesecake and Tea Room. While she did have multiple occupations she had one vocation: to be an incredible mother and wife devoted to providing a wonderful home while raising sons into being decent young men -at this, she was wonderful and succeeded very well.

Esther was a member of the Farm Bureau Council #21 - this membership was highlighted by large parties held at the house that she delighted in presiding over with lots of food, lots of card games and square dances in the barn. She shared a great passion for traveling with her beloved late husband, David, as proud members of Chapters X of Nelsonville and F-3 of Lancaster of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. During their years with the Gold Wings they traveled every state in the continental United States which they won awards for from the Gold Wings and were greatly admired for doing so!.

A longtime member of St. Mary's Catholic Church and later St. Bernadette Parish, as her expression for living as fully possible a life guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Esther's faith was a foundational aspect of her life, every day started at sunrise with the saying of the rosary.

She is survived by her sons, Karl (Joyce) Strohmeyer of Brewster, NY, and Charles (Geraldine) Strohmeyer of Lancaster; three grandchildren, Michael and Audrey Strohmeyer and Kristina (Steven) Reynard; four great-grandchildren, Aria, Molly, Logan, and Jaycie; her brother Joe (Sue) Fox; sisters, Margaret Wolfinger and Theresa Juncewicz; along with many beloved nieces and nephews. Esther was preceded in death by her parents; on February 9, 2026, her husband of 68 years, Carl David Strohmeyer; her son, Keith Strohmeyer; her grandson, Charles Robert Strohmeyer III; her sister, Mary Louise (Raymond) Hyme; and her brothers, Robert (Anita) Fox, Frank (Ann) Fox, and Raymond (Sue) Fox; and sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Fox

In honoring her life, a funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, October 6th, at 10 AM at St. Bernadette Parish, located at 1343 Wheeling Road NE, Lancaster, Ohio 43130. Following the mass, graveside services will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery near Bremen. A time for family and friends to visit will occur on Monday, October 5th, from 6 - 8 PM at Morgan Funeral Home, 124 Fort Street, Bremen, OH 43107.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Esther's memory to Fairhope Hospice.

As we reflect on Esther's remarkable life, we celebrate her spirit, her unwavering love for her family, and the countless lives she touched. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten. She was a great and wonderful lady that few can compare to now.