Johnold E. Strey

Johnold E. Strey, a longtime resident of Cedarburg, was called to his eternal rest on Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 86 years of age.

Visitation took place at Mueller Funeral Home in Cedarburg on Monday, March 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. The funeral service was held at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cedarburg at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 30, with Pastor Mark Rohrback presiding.  

A short visitation was held prior to the service from 9:30 until 10:15 a.m.  

Immediately after the funeral service, the burial rite was held at Zur Ruhe Cemetery in Cedarburg.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cedarburg or Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson.

Johnold was born on Oct. 12, 1934, the seventh of eight children born to Walter and Louise (nee Genz) Strey of Milwaukee. Shortly thereafter, he was baptized into the Christian faith at Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. Johnold was confirmed in the faith at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mequon on June 6, 1948.

He attended Cedarburg High School, graduating on June 11, 1954. He met Rayola Witt during their high school years in Cedarburg. After dating for several years, Johnold and Rayola were married on Oct. 11, 1958. Their marriage was blessed with two children, Connie and Johnold.

After high school, Johnold began work as a mason and was inducted as a member of the Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers of Wisconsin Local 8 in March of 1956.

Shortly after he and Rayola were married, Johnold was drafted by the U.S. Army, where he served in Pirmasens, Germany, near the border of France as part of a peacekeeping mission in Germany.

After his military service, he returned to the United States and resumed his career as a mason, which was his occupation for four decades until an accident at work led to his retirement in 1996.

In retirement, Johnold volunteered at Lasata Nursing Home and as a driver for the Cedarburg senior van. He was also active in retirement at his congregation, Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cedarburg, which his family joined in 1970, shortly after the congregation had been established.

He was a proud season ticket holder and shareholder of the Green Bay Packers and attended several games every year through the 2010 season.

Johnold and Rayola lived in Cedarburg for nearly all of their 62 years of marriage. As their mobility declined in recent years, they moved in 2017 from their home in Cedarburg to Willowbrook Place in Thiensville.

After a hospitalization in February of this year, Johnold was moved into hospice care at Cedarburg Health Services, where he passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 25, 2021. During his last days, his wife, both of his children and their spouses, and all five of his grandchildren were able to visit him and bring him joy with their presence.

Johnold was preceded in death by his parents and five of his siblings, Wallen (the late Sadie), DeLloyd (Elaine), Mercedine (the late Ralph) Grosser, Ruth (the late Robert) Mueller and Daun Joan (the late Richard) Voit.

He is survived by his wife Rayola; his sister Dyvon (the late Wilmer) Hilgendorf; his brother Frederick (the late Kathy); his daughter and son-in-law Connie and Cody Strook; his son and daughter-in-law the Rev. Johnold J. and Emily Strey; his five grandchildren, Samantha Strook, and Lydia, Julia, Kurt and Claire Strey; and many other relatives and other friends.