Robert "Bob" Strawn passed away Oct. 10, 2013 at his home in Jospehine.
A veteran of World War II and several diverse careers, Bob is survived by his wife, Nadine Maloney Strawn; three sons and their families, Robert J. Strawn III of Foley, Charles W. Strawn of Greenwood, S.C. and John E. Strawn of Loveland, Colo.; and a daughter, Katherine, of Foley.
Vivian Pickett Strawn, mother of Bob’s children, passed in 1982.
Bob and Nadine’s combined families of seven children, including Jim Maloney of Golden, Colo., Paul Maloney of Golden, Colo. and Carol Kruse of Green Bay, Wis. and all their wonderful spouses account for 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren plus another on the way.
The eldest of five children born to Robert J. Strawn Sr. and Phara I. Downs Strawn, he is also survived by two brothers, Jerry Strawn of St. George, Utah and Duane Strawn of the British Virgin Islands.
Bob was born in Elk City, Okla. March 25, 1925, learning to loving the land, farming and dairying.
Following high school graduation, he was admitted to the Maritime Academy, the Coast Guard’s equivalent of Annapolis.
It was a swift entry into war time, where he served in both the Atlantic and Pacific.
A memorial service for Bob, known to many as the TV face of Elberta Hardware, and his “Come on over to Elberta Hardware, the biggest, friendliest little hardware store in lower Alabama,” will be at 2 p.m., on Oct. 27, 2013 at Josephine Baptist Church, County Road 95 South in Elberta.
