Richard W. Strawbridge

1947 - 2021

Richard William Strawbridge, 73, of Oswego and recently Naperville, Illinois, passed away on January 18th, 2021 after a 5-year struggle with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife, Lori (Brennan), Lori's sons Sean Brutto and Ryan Kersten, Ryan's wife Fatima and their son Julian, daughters Tasha (Buchanan) and Elaine Strawbridge, granddaughters Greta, Marlowe, Abigail and Rowan Buchanan, sister Pamela Strawbridge (Mashke), brother-in-law Rich Mashke, niece Kim Mashke, and brother Timothy Strawbridge. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Janice Strawbridge.

Born October 31st, 1947 in Akron, Ohio, Rick lived in Haddonfield and then Livingston, NJ before attending high school in Canandaigua, NY, where he played football and ran track. As a camper at Camp Dudley in Westport, NY, Rick spent many summers learning outdoor life and leadership. He graduated from Colgate University in 1970 with an English major and as a member of both Colgate's football and rugby teams. After moving to Deerfield, IL, Rick met and married his first wife, Simone Mattenheimer (Blose), with whom he had daughters Tasha and Elaine. Rick then served as a lieutenant in the First Division of the US Army at Ft. Sill, Ft. Riley, and in Germany.

After the military, Rick went to John Marshall Law School in Chicago, served on its Moot Court teams and then joined the law firm Clausen Miller in 1979, where he spent the next 29 years as a subrogation expert. He finished his distinguished legal career in 2019 with the law firm Thompson, Brody and Kaplan.

A lover of sports, Rick played recreational soccer many years with the Chicago Kickers and a team from Park Ridge. While living in Palatine, IL., he had the thrill of watching his daughters win a state championship soccer title and then enjoyed watching his oldest daughter, Tasha, play at Notre Dame.

Rick married his second wife, Lori Brennan, in 1997. He was an avid follower of the competitive North Central College football team after Sean began playing on the team. In recent years, he converted to the Catholic faith and became a member of St. Thomas Church in Naperville.

As a lifelong dedicated reader of history, especially early American and Native American history, Rick accumulated an impressive collection of books. He also played piano, loved to write, and was an incredible storyteller.

Rick will be greatly missed by family and friends. A private interment will be held at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Joliet. A memorial service will be held at a later date due to the Covid 19 crisis.

If you wish to celebrate his life and love of dogs, please consider a donation to adopt: https://adoptpetshelter.org or Paws Chicago: https://www.pawschicago.org.

The family would be honored if you would sign the guestbook link below.