CARL JAMES STRANG Jr.

CARL JAMES STRANG JR., 81
Naval Aviator, Serial Entrepreneur and Distinguished Citizen

WINTER HAVEN - Carl James Strang Jr., 81, died at his home on Friday,
December 19, 2014. A long time resident of Winter Haven, he was active in a wide array of private and civic endeavors for more than fifty years.
Carl was born on September 1, 1933, in Eufaula, AL, to the late Carl James Strang and Florence Foy Strang. Upon graduation from Eufaula High School, he attended the US Naval Academy and received a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation from the Naval Academy in 1955, Carl completed flight training and was designated a naval aviator. He served on active duty from 1955 to 1959, with an operational tour as fleet pilot with Attack Squadron 85 flying AD-6 Skyraiders from the U.S.S. Forrestal. In total, he logged 114 carrier landings including several on the Intrepid, Saipan, Roosevelt and Ranger. In 1958, Carl and another pilot demonstrated the low-level and long-range capabilities of their squadron with a nonstop flight from the deck of the U.S.S. Forrestal off the east coast of Florida to San Diego, California never exceeding an altitude of 1,000 feet.
After settling in Winter Haven in 1960, work and raising a young family kept him grounded for several years. His aviation career was reborn with his newly acquired glider rating which allowed him to combine flying and parenting. From that point on and for the rest of his life, he was never long out of an airplane. In 1972, he and son Bud flew from Mulberry to New Smyrna Beach in a sailplane setting a state distance record that stood for almost 40 years. Other than a minor misunderstanding with the FAA over something about minimum altitudes and a nudist colony (which he said almost caused him to have to fly for a short period without a license), his flying career did not attract much attention from the outside. However, it was a big part of his life... something from which he derived great pleasure as well as an avenue he used to share time and adventures with his family.
After his career with the US Navy, Carl received a degree from the School of Banking at Louisiana State University and became president of the American National Trust & Bank (later Barnett Bank) in Winter Haven. Over the ensuing decades, his business and entrepreneurial drive led to numerous chairmanships, partnerships, directorships and affiliations with entities including The Strang Corporation, 6/10 Corporation, Florida Data Bank Inc., DocuLex Inc., WEBE Investors, Gapway Grove Corporation, Island Grove Ag Products, Cheneyhatchee LLC, Florida Cypress Gardens Inc., Saddle Creek Corporation, Citrus & Chemical Bank, Adams Packing, and Phoenix Industries.
Carl was truly a cornerstone of the community. His civic affiliations included serving as: Mayor and City Commissioner of the City of Winter Haven, Founding Director of the Community Foundation of Greater Winter Haven, Trustee of Winter Haven Hospital, Commissioner of the First Polk County Charter Commission, Director of the Polk County Workforce Development Board, Commissioner of the Judicial Nominating Commission of the Second District Court of Appeals, Co-Founder of Friends of the Green Swamp, Founding Director of Polk County Crime Stoppers, Co-Founder of Polk County Rails-To-Trails, Founder and Chairman of Tri-County Mental Health Board, Founding Director of Polk Senior Games, President of PHH Mental Health Services, President and General Campaign Chairman of United Way of Lake Region, Chairman of Service Academy Selection Committee for the Twelfth Congressional District, Chairman of Winter Haven Public Library, Chairman of Polk County Health Facilities Authority, Vice-Chairman of Polk County Industrial Development Authority, Director of Winter Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, Governor of Polk Museum of Art, Delegate to the 1985 White House Conference on Libraries, Founding Director of Episcopal-Catholic Apartments Inc, Chairman of the American Red Cross (Polk Chapter), Lay Eucharistic Minister and Warden of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Winter Haven, Charter Member of the Lake Region Yacht and Country Club, Executive Committee Member of the Libertarian Party of Florida, Founder of Friends of the Winter Haven Library, Past President of the Kiwanis Club, and Founder and Corresponding Secretary of the Lake Otis Men's Garden Club.
His passion for giving back to those around him did not go unnoticed. Carl was honored by the Winter Haven Jaycees as 'Young Man of the Year' in 1968. He received the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award in 1982 and the Winter Haven Man of the Year Bankers Cup Award in 1983. The Gulf-Ridge Boy Scout Council selected Carl as the first recipient of their Distinguished Citizen Award in 1989. In 1990, he was named the 'Most Influential Person in the Winter Haven Area'.
Carl will most notably be remembered, however, as a true Southern gentleman and inspiration to so many. His vast network of friends and family can testify to his love of life, charitable spirit and endless charm. A 'family man' until the very end, Carl was the patriarch of five generations spanning from a great-grandson to his late mother who predeceased him in August at the age of 106. Carl married the late Mary Adams Strang in 1955, and together they had five children. Recently, he celebrated his 31st wedding anniversary with his wife, Sheryll.
Carl was preceded in death by wife, Mary Adams Strang; son, Samuel Adams Strang; stepson, Brett David Tanner; grandson, Ryan Patrick Rooney and brother, Shorter Thornton Strang. He is survived by his wife, Sheryll Webb Strang; sons, Carl James 'Bud' Strang, III (Anita), John Walton Strang (Meg); daughter, Eve Strang Bass (Jerry); son, Max Wilson Strang (Tamara); stepson, Phillip Webb Tanner (Deanna); grandchildren, Adam Strang Bass, Erin Bass Trotter, Zachary Samuel Strang, Sarah Winston Strang, Mary Elizabeth Strang, John Andrew Strang, Emmie Eliisa Strang, Ian Sisler Strang; and great grandson, Maxwell Strang Bass. He is also survived by sister, Foy Strang Gary, sister in law, Jean Hurlbert Strang and by step grandchildren, Misty Michelle Bass, Tiffany Ann Bass, Blu Tanner, Jolie Michelle Tanner, Madelyn Ivy Horn, Robert Coleman Horn, IV; step great grandson, Tristian Bass and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Carl J. Strang Fund at Givewell Community Foundation, St. Paul's Episcopal Church or the charity of your choice.
A service will be held at 2PM on Friday, December 26, 2014 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winter Haven, Florida.