Bette Sue Strasburger

Bette Sue (Feinman) Strasburger z"l was a Virginia native and yet the epitome of a southern matriarch. She was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia and moved to Alabama in the 1950s to attend the University of Alabama. She graduated in 1960 and settled in Montgomery, Alabama after her husband's military service. They raised three children in Montgomery and Bette Sue remained in Montgomery until 2017 when she moved to Atlanta. At the end of her life, Bette Sue suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. While the last chapter of her life did not reflect the whole of her story, Bette Sue was surrounded by a loving and devoted care team including Karlene, Lillie, Charlene, and LaChelle, the wonderful team of The Pearl memory-care caregivers, and the extraordinary staff and volunteers of Weinstein Hospice.

From teaching school to serving as an active community volunteer, Bette Sue never sat idle. Well-known for her disciplined and strong classroom management, Bette Sue taught in Montgomery public schools for over two decades - including other (unique) teaching positions. After teaching elementary school for a number of years, Bette Sue took on the challenge of teaching reading skills to illiterate inmates in the minimum security federal prison located on Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. She later accepted a position at Brantwood Children's Home–a home for abused, neglected, and at-risk children. She taught students of all ages / in one room / simultaneously, all subjects, for all grades 2-11. While working tirelessly to remediate the children and give them the skills and confidence to transition back to a traditional school setting, she earned her master's degree in Reading Education and made her way back to elementary public school education where she taught until retirement in the late 1980s.

In the late 1970s, Bette Sue and her husband, James Chernau z"l, divorced and she was a single mother of three teenagers. A bit ahead of her time, Bette Sue opened a small clothing consignment space in a larger household goods consignment shop. She managed the store and taught school, concurrently. From the one room shop, and a few years later, she and her second husband, Charles Strasburger z"l, grew Repeat Performance into a local four store chain in Montgomery selling adult and children's clothing as well as furniture. Bette Sue and Charlie were a formidable team that knew how to draw on each other's strengths and enjoyed great success together. They were awarded Small Business of the Year by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and worked hard to help others establish and grow their own businesses in Montgomery. They shared a great love of travel that they were fortunate to experience together throughout their marriage. After founding, expanding, and operating Repeat Performance for over 20 years, Bette Sue and Charlie were pleased to sell the business in the early 2000s and embark on a different pace of life. They had many, many happy years together (27+ years) filled with great love and laughter before Charlie passed away in 2015.

Throughout her life, Bette Sue was always drawn to community service. Whether it was her scout years as a young girl, serving as president of her AEPhi chapter at the University of Alabama, or her own T-Shirts for the Troops service project, there was never an opportunity that she missed to help others. Awarded the Senior Citizen Volunteer of the Year Award in Montgomery, Bette Sue truly had a servant's heart. Before social media made crowd-sourcing a house-hold concept, she raised funds to have University of Alabama t-shirts made and sent to the central Alabama troops in Afghanistan and Iraq when Alabama played in the national championship game. She put her avid allegiance to the Tide aside and created the same project for Auburn University when their team went to the championship game. She followed up one more time when Alabama returned to the championship game. She drew funds from contacts around the country and gained regional media coverage for her extraordinary efforts. She also was very active in her local synagogue, Temple Beth Or, and the greater Jewish community in central Alabama. She served as the president of the National Council of Jewish Women local chapter, was the first chair of the Jewish Food Festival fundraiser (still a cornerstone event in the community), and was an annual committee chair for sisterhood events serving her congregation.

Bette Sue and Charlie have left a legacy of children including: Chuck Strasburger, Tom (Nonda) Strasburger, Terri (Scott) Rittenberg, Lani (Nick) Ashner, and Marc Chernau; grandchildren: Charles (Margeaux) Strasburger, Emily Strasburger, Alexa (Alyson Yawitz) Rittenberg, Meagan (Connor Hyman) Ashner, Andrew (Victoria) Rittenberg, Dylan Strasburger, Nathan Ashner, Joel (Olivia Leon) Rittenberg, Madelyn (Noah Medwed) Chernau, Collin Strasburger, Evan Strasburger, Grant Chernau, and Mason Chernau; and great-grandchildren: Hannah Strasburger, Foster Strasburger, and Nola Strasburger. Bette Sue is lovingly remembered by her two nieces: Anne (Gerry) O'Beirne and Amy (Jim) Nicol, and their father, Bette Sue's brother-in-law of more than 70 years, Lewis Schiller. Bette Sue was preceded in death by her parents Pearle z"l and Mose z"l Feinman and her sister Audri Schiller z"l.

Bette Sue, Mimi, Muz, Ma, Mom, Aunt Suzi - she answered to them all with her sweet, southern drawl. But, make no mistake, behind her southern charm stood a true steel magnolia.

Funeral services for Bette Sue will be held Sunday, December 14, 2025, 11:00am central time at Eternal Rest, Oakwood Cemetery (829 Columbus Street, Montgomery, AL 36104). Shiva will be observed in Atlanta at the home of Terri and Scott Rittenberg (2934 Mountain Trace, Roswell, GA 30075) on Monday and Tuesday, December 15 and 16, 2025. Shiva will begin each evening at 6:00pm with minyan at 7:00pm each evening. Donations in Bette Sue's memory can be directed to the Alzheimer's Association, Temple Beth Or, or the charity of your choice.