Final Salute

Funeral Services for Marvin H. Strauss will be 11:00 a.m. Monday, July 13, 2009 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bellechester, MN with Father Bruce Peterson officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Bellechester.
Marvin, 61, died Thursday, July 9, 2009 at his Lake City home after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Marvin Henry Strauss was born in Red Wing, Minnesota to his parents, Alvin and Christine (Arendt) Strauss. He was raised on the family farm in Bellechester, attended school in Bellechester and graduated from high school in Mazeppa, MN. After high school Marv went to Vo-Tech in Faribault, MN where he specialized in carpentry and cabinet making. Soon after Vo-Tech he joined the Navy Seebee’s and served for two years and two tours in the Vietnam War.
On September 7, 1974 Marv married Cynthia O’Hara at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bellechester. The couple moved to Oronoco in 1974 and resided there until 2001. While living in Oronoco, Marv volunteered for the Oronoco Fire Department (25 years) acting as a training officer and assistant chief. In 1982 he started his own carpentry business named Marvin Strauss Building and Remodeling. Marv was very well known for his outstanding woodworking abilities and just how fickle he could be with every job he did. Marv was a true perfectionist and wouldn’t settle for less. In 2001 Marv built a home in Lake City and he and Cindy lived there ever since. He stopped working in 2006 due to his ongoing battle with cancer.
Marvin enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending vacations with his family. He was also a very active member of the churches that he had belonged to over the years, volunteering a lot of his time and effort in several church activities. He was a member of Pax Christi Catholic Church in Rochester, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bellechester, St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake City, a member of Knights of Columbus in Bellechester and a member of the Oronoco VFW.
He is survived by his wife Cynthia; One son, Nicolas (his fiancé Ingrid Bell) Strauss of Saint Paul, MN; One daughter, Catharine Strauss (Nicholas Weininger of San Francisco, CA; One brother, Calvin Strauss of Bellechester, MN; Two sisters, Valerie (Lynn) Cunningham of Lake City and Rebecca (Robert) Macke of Rochester. He was also survived by several nieces and nephews. Marvin was preceded in death by his parents.
Friends may call Sunday, July 12, 2009 from 2 until 5:00 P.M. at Schleicher Funeral Home in Lake City and for one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday. There will be a prayer service Sunday starting at 4:45 P.M.