Abdou Omar Strehlow-Camara

We celebrate the life of Abdou Omar Strehlow-Camara, who passed on Saturday, February 14 at the age of 31 years old.

Abdou was born June 8, 1994, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating in 2013 from Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, WI, he attended the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin. He joined the U.S. Army in 2019, rising to the rank of Sergeant. From 2019 to 2023, he served as an Intelligence Analyst at the National Security Agency in Maryland. The military awarded him the Army Certificate of Achievement, the Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal for his service.

Alongside his sister, Abdou enjoyed playing in childhood chess tournaments and won many trophies. His playing style reflected his personality; he was undeterred by risky decisions and deeply trusted his intuition. Often he would be online, exploring kingdoms in Legend of Zelda or playing other video games with family. His competitiveness was evident in family wrestling matches, including trying to get the “last hit” and refused to admit his younger brother grew stronger than him. Abdou will be remembered for his irreverent sense of humor inspired by watching Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, and South Park clips. Above all, he cherished spending meaningful time with his family, who will remember the conversations on the phone for hours, the spirited debates across family meals, and compilations of his favorite shows with his siblings. He loved animals, particularly cats. While he did not own any, he kept a cat tree in his home in the hope one day he would get one.

In recent years, those closest to him saw not only his struggles, but also his resilience, humor, and desire to better himself. He was deeply loved and supported by all those around him.

He is survived by his parents, Dawn and Omar Camara, his siblings Trisha (Jacob) Camara and Omar Camara. Preceded in death by his grandparents Alhaji and Marie Camara, Clyde and Patricia Strehlow, and uncles Salifu Camara and Baboucarr Nyang. His cousins, aunts, uncles, and nieces from the Camara, Fofana, and Strehlow families, alongside his childhood and adulthood friends, will remember him for his phone calls, good-hearted humor, and his signature black cowboy hat full of cat hair. He was previously married from 2022-2023. We also thank his good friends and neighbors Joe Richardson and Nate Hayes for caring for him so closely in recent years.

A public celebration of his life will be held at Peace of Mind Funeral Home, 5325 West Greenfield Ave on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Visitation from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM followed by a funeral service. A private burial ceremony will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Clement J Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee.