Jean Elizabeth Stratmeyer

Jean Elizabeth Barker Stratmeyer, 96, went home to her beloved Lord Jesus November 18, 2024. Born February 3, 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, she had been living at Baptist Village in Oklahoma City, OK. During her last days she was surrounded by her four children.

Jean, aka Mom, Grandma, or Juana, always had a smile and an encouraging word for anyone she met – who were many. Jean grew up on a farm outside Toronto, daughter of Percy & Sarah and the only sister among three brothers. After high school she bought a hair salon which grew under her cheerful care. At a Billy Graham Crusade, she became a follower of Jesus Christ and wanted to grow, so she sold her business and studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. There she met Dennis Stratmeyer whom she later married – a marriage that would prosper for 53 years.

After studying linguistics, Jean & Den joined Wycliffe Bible Translators who assigned them to the Jacaltecos, a Mayan indigenous group in the Guatemalan highlands. Braving an 8-hour trek past the end of the road and life with no electricity or running water, they learned the Popti’ language, opened a clinic, designed an alphabet, sorted out the grammar, and began translation work while raising four children. They focused on the scriptures and also translated health and bilingual educational materials. The New Testament of the Bible was completed in 1998. After Den’s death in 2008, Jean continued translating, along with organizing child sponsorships and launching other initiatives to help the people. The full Bible was completed in 2017 when Jean was 89.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband Dennis, her brothers Keith & Ross, and a grandson, Shawn S. She is survived by her four children and their spouses, Jane & John F., Gail & Darrell S., Mark & Diane, Neil & Carol, her brother and sister-in-law Harold & Norma, seven grandchildren Keegan, Logan, Chad, Rose, Rob, Dave, Kevin, and nine great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Jean may make a donation to Deditos (https://deditos.org, Bringing Bible stories to life in local languages around the world), or to ilumiNations (https://iluminations.bible, Helping provide God’s Word in EVERY language for EVERY people group IN OUR LIFETIME).