William H. Streiff

William H. Streiff 1918-2009 William H. "Bill" Streiff, 91, formerly of Boise, died June 5, 2009, in Kenmore, Wash. A Rosary will be recited at St. John's Cathedral Chapel Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 5 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday June 15, 2009 at St. John's Cathedral, with burial to follow at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery at 1 p.m. A reception for family and friends will follow in the Queen of Peace room at St. John's Parish Center. Bill, one of three children, was born April 6, 1918, in Jackson, Mich., the son of Abraham and Josephine Streiff. He graduated from Jackson High School in 1936; Jackson Junior College in 1938; and Michigan State College in 1940. Bill enlisted in the Armed Services at Temple, Texas, in October 1940 and was assigned to the Army Air Corps at Brooks Field, Texas before transferring to the Army Finance Department at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant at Duke University, Durham, N.C. in March 1943, and married Barbara Elizabeth (Betty) Herrmann on April 24, 1943. Bill was assigned as an Assistant and Deputy Finance Officer with the 63rd Infantry Division, which saw action in Europe as the first division of the Seventh Army to break through the Siegfried Line in February 1943. During this period, Bill was awarded the Bronze Star and attained the rank of Captain, serving with distinction until his discharge in 1946. He retired as a Major in the Officers Reserve Corps serving from February 1947 to April 1953. Following the war, he began working at the Regional Office of the Bureau of Reclamation as an Administrative Assistant and retired from the Bureau in June 1973 as Chief, Operations and Budget Branch, Division of Program Coordination. Bill helped Betty raise 11 children of whom he was very proud, and he was a devoted husband. He enjoyed his retirement thoroughly, especially music, travel, budgeting and financial planning. He is survived by his sons Tom (and grandsons Nikolas and Eli); John (Sandy, and grandson Raphael, MD. [Nicole] and great-grandchildren Gryffen and Flannery); Jeffrey (Sarah, and grandchildren Micah [Victoria], Jordan, Corey, and Parker [Susan] and great-grandchildren Sophia and Olivia); and Joe (Michelle, and grandchildren Daniel, Kayla and Brianna); and his seven daughters Barbara (Tom Adams, and grandchildren Ethan, Isaac, Alyssa, and Amy [Bill Leamon] and great-grandchildren Tommy, Kevin, Matthew, and Will); Mary Catherine (Philip Role, MD. and grandchildren Nathaniel, Abraham, and Sarah [Ethan Schaffer]); Suzanne (and granddaughters Danielle and Sasha); Elizabeth (Mark Rosenwinkel, and grandson Jeremy); Peggy (and grandchildren Anthony, Celina, and Vanessa [Wesley Beckmon] and great-grandchildren Oscar and Sophia); Bernie (Terry Moran, and grandchildren Christopher and Jessica); and Bonnie (Joe Greenley); and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother John "Frido" and his brother Anton "Tony", and on January 31 of this year, his beloved wife of 66 years, Betty. Old couple, you've sewn your years together. Grown entwined in petals and in thorns. You've toiled and tended, watched your seed sprout and thrive behind you. But there will come a day Death's spade will divide your lovely tangle, the branched out Fruit gather round for last goodbyes, and with lilted hearts and embracing tendrils, will know the love you left behind. -by Bonnie (Streiff) Greenley The family asks in lieu of flowers, to consider any Catholic Charity of their choice, especially the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Don't worry Dad. Dinner will be at 6 o'clock on the dot. And we'll take care of the dishes. And if the phone rings we won't answer it, or we'll tell them we're eating.