Erik Richard Strauss' Obituary
Erik Richard Strauss Sr, age 81 of Memphis, TN, passed away peacefully on August 20, 2023. Erik was born on March 5th, 1942, to Wilhelm Jacob Strauss and Ema Wurster Strauss in Philadelphia, PA.
He regaled his family with many stories of his childhood and time in the Navy but especially his times on Nicoletti’s farm. At 16, he enlisted in the Navy and served his country faithfully for 20 years. Erik met the love of his life, Jessie Faye Tedder, on a blind date and ended up marrying her on July 13, 1963. Erik and Jessie were blessed with two sons, Erik Jr (Rick) and William. Erik was a devoted husband and eventually caretaker to Jessie for 53 years.
Upon his retirement from the Navy, he decided to pursue his passion for art and attended Memphis Academy of Arts. He received bachelor’s degrees in Commercial Art and Oil Painting. He later retired from FedEx as a commercial artist. As a husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, and “Poppy” to his four grandchildren, he enjoyed art, photography, stamp collecting and was quite a movie buff in his later years.
He leaves behind two sons, Erik Strauss Jr of Millington, TN, William Strauss (Courtney) of Grand Haven, MI, four granddaughters, Kate Crowley, Grace Strauss, Ema Strauss and Sophie Strauss of Grand Haven, MI and longtime friend Paula Karlin of Germantown, TN. He was the uncle, great uncle and great great uncle to many nieces and nephews in Pennsylvania.
The visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the service time at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, August 24, 2023 at Memorial Park Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a charity of your choice.
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