Alta Mae Strassburg

The service will be live streamed.   Vision of Glory live

Alta Mae (Johnson) Strassburg was born to Clarence and Ida Johnson at home in Deer Park, WI on March 14, 1936. She was the youngest of four siblings by 11 years. She surrendered her life to Jesus when she was 13 years old. She graduated from High School in Turtle Lake, WI 1954.

She worked at Midway hospital in St. Paul as a nurse’s aide with the hopes of becoming a nurse, however funds did not allow her to fulfill that dream. She then worked in administration for MN Mutual Life Insurance and attended Lutheran Bible Institute to obtain an associate degree in Biblical Studies.

A mutual friend introduced her to Donald Strassburg on a blind date at Bridgeman’s Ice Cream Shop. They were married on September 21, 1957, then purchased a farm near the farmstead that he was raised. Prior to joining the Strassburg family, she had to learn how to play the card game ROOK…it became a competitive family sport with lots of laughter often extending into the wee hours of the morning.

She and Don were blessed with two children, Janet was born on August 4th 1958 and Richard was born on Aug 14th 1959. She cherished being a mother and wife.

She used her artistic talent to create a wonderful home and set the most beautiful dining tables. She worked very hard to have a meticulous lawn and landscaping on the farm acreage. She and Don shared a passion for trees…. planting hundreds of evergreens to make the acreage a peaceful haven from the harsh South Dakota winter winds.

Alta was an active volunteer in many aspects of ministry at Highland Lutheran Church in Brandt SD, as well as many other ministries. Her greatest honor was being elected as the South Dakota District President of American Lutheran Church women.

She enjoyed traveling with the most memorable trip to Isreal in 1997 with Don and Jan. It tragically ended with his sudden passing the day they arrived home. Following Dons death, she enjoyed vacationing with Dick, Kris, Mia and Shayla, as well as a trip to Hawaii with her grief support group. As a very proud Norwegian, she and Jan went to Norway, Sweden and Denmark to see and learn about her family heritage.

She worked part time in medical records at a local hospital while raising the kids. After Don’s passing, she worked in administration at churches in Brookings and Sioux Falls. After relocating to the Twin Cities to live near family, she became involved in many areas of ministry at Vision of Glory Lutheran Church. One of her favorites was leading a small woman’s bible study group in her home. She worked into her mid-70’s at North Heights Lay Ministry Training Center, Inter Bank and Common Ground Ministry.

She was a dedicated student of the bible and loved to read. All verses in the Bible were precious to her. Her legacy is her commitment to prayer and her love of people, both cornerstones of her life!

She celebrated her 90th birthday in March living independently until she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, Aplastic Anema. She spent her last three months pursing treatment which was ultimately unsuccessful. She died peacefully on September 24th.

She is survived by her daughter Janet Strassburg (John Sundquist) of Shorewood, MN, Richard (Kristi) Strassburg of Sioux Falls SD, grandchildren Mia and Shayla Strassburg, Jahna and Mikala Sundquist, and ten nieces and nephews. She is proceeded in death by her parents, her husband Don, her siblings Kenneth, Marian and Robert.

Celebration of her life will be held Monday, September 28th at 11 AM at Vision of Glory Lutheran Church, 13200 Highway 55, Plymouth Minnesota with visitation 1 hour prior to service. Private family interment, Highland Lutheran Cemetery, Brant, South Dakota.

Thank you to all the medical professionals that provided such loving care and kindness to Mom and we are grateful to all who donate blood, it kept Mom alive for the past three months. Please consider donating blood as a way to honor her.

Memorials preferred to the family for donations to Alta’s favorite ministries.