John Frederick Strandberg, 80, died on October 11, 2022 at his home in San Antonio after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts to Arne and Agnes (Hammerstrom) Strandberg on December 1, 1941, the week of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The youngest of four brothers, he was predeceased by his parents, his brothers Arne, Jr., and William Strandberg, and by his son Michael Anthony Strandberg. Surviving are his wife Carla Simmons-Strandberg, his former wife Patricia (Roberts) Strandberg, her and John’s son Timothy Strandberg, John’s stepdaughters Katrina and Kristen Simmons, his brother Victor Strandberg and wife Penny, and his nieces Anne and Susan Strandberg.

John grew up and went to school in the town of Upton, Massachusetts. He went to high school in Shrewsbury, Mass., and volunteered to join the United States Air Force at age 17. His first foreign deployment was to the Thule AF Base in Greenland; his second was halfway around the world to Japan. Back stateside, he was sent to Lackland AF Base in San Antonio, where, after eight years of service he left the Air Force to spend a decade as a loan officer at a credit union. He and his former wife Patricia then started their own business in accounting and computer work. Meanwhile, he developed his innate talent as a music man, playing the organ and becoming choir director for some large church congregations in San Antonio, Dallas, and East Texas, as well as doing choir directing and teaching in several academic venues. In some of these ventures he was joined by his wife Carla playing sacred music on the piano. A special moment in his musical career was his participation in a choral singing group in Carnegie Hall.

To all the people who knew him, John was a wonderful husband, father, brother, and friend. He will be missed. Rest in peace, John Frederick. You made our lives better.