James Straub

STRAUB, James Arthur

Silver Springs, FL - James Arthur Straub, 78, passed away after a long journey with dementia on April 12, 2018 surrounded by his wife and daughters. He was born on December 15, 1939 in Gratz, PA to Paul Arthur Straub and Grovene Steva Wiest, the oldest of 6 children.

Growing up he enjoyed model making and as an Eagle Scout earned the God & Country award. He graduated from Kenwood High School 7th in a class of 500+ students. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in electrical engineering. He married Sue Lewis in 1962, and after getting a job at IBM moved from Maryland to California, where they raised two daughters. Once the girls left the nest, they moved to Colorado. After retiring Jim and Sue RVed for 10 years, visiting all 50 states, Canada and finally settled in Florida. They also traveled to Hong Kong and Israel.

He was a patient man, quick to lend a listening ear. He was able to fix anything around the house, including cars. He enjoyed camping, hiking, tennis, bowling, dancing, eating out, board games, movies, listening to music, word puzzles, wine (making and drinking), beer, and radio controlled airplanes. He was known to be a loving and loyal friend to many different people. Throughout his life he invested deeply in the lives of others by mentoring boys in the scouts, counseling coworkers at IBM, leading the community through the Jaycees, and Bible Studies at church. He also loved playing and goofing around with his grandkids. His hope in life came through his personal relationship with Jesus.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sue Straub; daughter and son in law Melanie & David Proctor as well as daughter and son in law Valerie & Mark DiBenedetto.  He is also survived by two grandchildren Michael & Faith DiBenedetto, as well as brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life service will be at 1:00 pm, May 12, 2018, in the First Presbyterian Church downtown, 511 SE 3rd St., Ocala, FL. Reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's name to Hospice of Marion County, PO Box 4860, Ocala, FL or Forest Home, 40000 Valley of the Falls Drive, Forest Falls, CA 92339.