Mary Ann Strunc

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mary Ann Strunc, née Beeftink, age 87, at eternal rest and heavenly reward March 24, 2025.
A funeral will be held on Friday, April 4 at 1:00 PM at Saint Peter's Catholic Church in Greenville, NC (visitation at 12:00 PM). Graveside ceremony at Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Nicholasville, KY will follow at a later date.
Beloved wife to Charles for 58 years and mother of 6, she lived a dedicated life filled with love and pride in her own family and compassion for young struggling families everywhere. Born on July 14, 1937 in Chicago, she was the youngest of three children of Leonard and Mary Beeftink. Mary Ann attended St. Hilary Elementary School and in 1955, graduated from Alvernia High School in Chicago where lifelong friendships began. In 1957 she married Dr. Charles L. Strunc (deceased) with whom a relationship endured through many years of mutual respect and support, faith, and commitment.
Preceded in death by brothers Leonard (Alice) and James (Gary) and niece Patty, and fondly remembered by her children, Mary Therese (Jack) Bartels, Elizabeth (Steven) Dalin, James (Krista) Strunc, Caroline (Peter) Mueller, Michael (Ramie) Strunc, and Robert (Angela) Strunc; niece and godchild Joan, and niece, Mary Ellen. Mary Ann's zeal for life, truth, and justice lives on. She is survived presently by 6 children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, 9 grand in-laws, and 11 great grandchildren, each of whom occupied a place in her heart and whose hearts will forever be influenced by memories of her love and spirited life.
Mary Ann and Charles raised their family in Cary, Illinois where they were active as parishioners at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church and in their community. Mary Ann furthered her education by attending nearby McHenry County College and NIU, eventually earning a BSN which she put to use as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin, IL. and Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, IL. The couple retired to Richmond, KY in 1990 where Mary Ann completed her MSN at Bellarmine University, taught at EKU, and continued to focus her energy and talents toward coaching countless mothers through safe labor and delivery at Patty Clay Hospital as she did her children and grandchildren from afar. Mary Ann was continuously involved in outreach and support programs for single mothers in Eastern Kentucky and as a founding member of the Madison County Right to Life chapter there, advocated at every turn for the God-given sanctity of each and every human life.
Her autumn years, since the passing of her beloved husband Charles in 2015, were spent in Greenville, NC., closer to family and nearer to the ocean where she continued to nurture her faith and friendships at St. Peter's Catholic Church and with all who knew her.
Contributions in her memory can be made to Children's Interstitial Lung Disease Foundation, 311 Elm Street, Suite C!#1045, Cincinnati, OH 45202 or North Carolina Right to Life Education Fund, P.O. Box 9282, Greensboro, NC 27429.