Robert Stratton Liljestrand

News Death Notice

LILJESTRAND, Robert Stratton was born May 27, 1915 to Sven and Ethel Liljestrand in Syracuse, N.Y. He was taken as a baby to China where his father was a medical missionary. He started school at a Canadian school in Chengtu, West China, but went to high school at Cazenovia Seminary in Cazenovia, N.Y. In 1937 he graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN with a B.S. degree in pre-med. He worked some time at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. For the last 30 of his working years he was connected with the paper industry, first as Superintendent of the Waldorf Paper Products Mill in St. Paul, MN, and then as technical salesman in the paper chemicals division of American Cyanamid. During these years he was involved in the Superintendents Assoc., the Technical Assoc. of the Pulp and Paper Industry and the American Chemical Society. For his last 50 years, he has lived with his family in Ohio. Before his heart attack and surgery, he had been an active member of First United Methodist Church in Middletown. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Richard; a granddaughter, Betsy; 3 brothers, Howard, Eric, and Sven. He leaves behind his wife, Lyla, of 71 years; a son, James (Alice); a son, Robert (Janet); a daughter-in-law, Patricia; and 9 grandchildren, Norman (Anna) Karin; Amy, Jennelle, Todd (Rebecca), Tara, Gina, Audrey (Micheal), and Andrew Liljestrand. Because of his life long interest in medicine, he has donated his body for science to Wright State Medical School. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. January 16, 2011 at Mt. Pleasant Chapel with the Chaplain officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the Life Care Fund at Mt. Pleasant Retirement Village or to a charity of choice.