Harvey Thomas Strasburger

1933 - 2025

Harvey Thomas "Tommy" Strasburger, 92, died at his home surrounded by family on April 25, 2025. Services will be at 10 a.m. on May 19, 2025, at Christ Episcopal Church in Temple.

Tommy Strasburger, an extraordinary entrepreneur, grew a family-owned business begun in the 1880s into a multi-national retail conglomerate which included convenience and fuel locations, real estate holdings, banks, insurance agencies, airlines, a hotel, oil wells, bakeries, a fried chicken restaurant, pharmacies, an agri-business, and travel services.

Tommy's grandfather, Henry Strasburger, a German immigrant, moved to Temple in 1884 to open a saloon. When prohibition forced its closure, he switched his saloon into a popular restaurant, the Moss Rose, and a meat market. Tommy's father, Roy Strasburger, a former Temple mayor, later expanded the business into a chain of five Temple-based groceries which formed the basis of Tommy's future endeavors.

Born on March 28,1933, to Roy and Aileen Smith Strasburger in Temple, Tommy grew up working in the family's grocery stores. Tommy went to Temple High School before receiving a degree in business from Baylor University, where he lettered as captain of the Bear's basketball team (he remained an athlete his entire life playing racquetball and tennis until his late 70's). There he met and married the former Shirley Myers (1934-2021) on Dec. 4, 1954. Shirley was the love of Tommy's life and his constant companion as well as his trusted advisor and business partner throughout the company's growth. They lived briefly in San Francisco and Baltimore while Tommy was in the Army, before returning to Temple, where Tommy joined his father in the grocery business and began raising a family.

In 1958, Tommy purchased the grocery stores from his father and went on to open a total of 11 supermarkets between Dallas and Austin during the next decade.

Taking advantage of the completion of I-35, the interstate highway system in central Texas, Tommy bought his first group of convenience stores in 1967 - the Minit Mart stores in Austin - and soon added the Milky Way stores in Waco. By the late 1970s, Tommy was running the re-branded Zippy Food Store locations between San Antonio and Dallas. Over the years, the name of the convenience stores continued to evolve from Zippy to Pay-Less and later to Quix. Tommy was an innovative leader in the convenience store industry and was on the board of directors of the National Association of Convenience Stores from 1975 - 1981.

Capitalizing on the popularity of self-service fuel outlets, Tommy began selling wholesale fuel in the late 1960s to independent operators under the Citgo, Diamond Shamrock, Shell, Mobil, and Chevron brands. By the end of the 1970s, Strasburger Enterprises was a state-wide company.

In the1980s, with his children joining the company, Tommy grew the Strasburger portfolio: Megatravel, a full-service travel agency; Quix Systems, a long-term C-Store licensing program; PetroTech, a maintenance, repair, sales, and service company for fuel equipment; and Convenience Management Services, which provided retail site management and operations to clients. He also added Fidelity Bank of Texas, which was created by the merging of two banks he owned in Robinson and Waco, Texas; TCNA, the national airlines of the Turks and Caicos; the Island Reef Hotel located on Grand Turk; British Caribbean Airlines in the British Virgin Islands; as well as other businesses.

One of Tommy's greatest achievements was taking his concept of convenience store to markets around the world. In the early 1980s, Tommy opened Australia's first convenience store with self-service fuel, a concept that grew Quix Food Stores into one of the largest convenience store chains on the continent, bolstered by a joint venture with Mobil Oil Australia.

This success led to Strasburger Enterprises operating sites for other multinational oil companies throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and Central and South America.

At its peak, Strasburger Enterprises engaged in the ownership, licensing, marketing or operation of about 6,000 retail sites in more than 30 countries. Its consulting and research subsidiary, Cambridge Myers, conducted market studies, business analysis, real estate evaluation, and consulted on management information systems and distribution logistics world-wide. Companies in 50 countries utilized Strasburger Enterprises' resources to improve operations, sales and profits.

Although the company sold its convenience stores and site operations businesses in 2012, Tommy continued to oversee Strasburger Enterprises remaining commercial interests until shortly before his death.

Even though he had created a global business, Tommy was happiest sitting on his back porch with his dog by his side and a scotch in his hand, while overlooking the cattle and crops on his farm in Rogers, Texas.

Always mindful of their Temple roots, Tommy, Shirely, and their family supported philanthropic endeavors bolstering local arts organizations, social service agencies serving the poor, and education and community improvement organizations. Among the groups the Strasburger family generously contributed to were Christ Episcopal Church (where Tommy's family has deep roots), St. Francis Episcopal Church, Temple Cultural Activities Center, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Baylor University, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Rogers Community Alliance, Family Promise of East Bell County, National Mounted Warfare Museum, Boy Scouts of America (Tommy was a proud Eagle Scout), Baylor Scott & White Central Texas Foundation and veterans-support organizations.

These gifts have had lasting impact. In particular, Tommy and Shirley provided the essential leadership in 1990 to form the Temple Education Foundation (TEF) and, in 2012, established its first endowed scholarship.

Tommy was a great example to his children of what a loving husband should be, how to be a caring and involved parent, and to always put family first. His farm was the center for family gatherings, celebrations, and storytelling. Tommy was admired and respected by those who knew him and adored by his family. He had empathy for others and great loyalty to those who worked for him.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Tommy is survived by his four children: Roy Strasburger and wife Eva and their children Selina, Chantal and fiancé Ian Wilson, Lorelei Titus and husband Nic, and Danielle; Gregg Strasburger and wife Susan and their children Andrew and wife Jessica, Sean and wife Helen, and Erin LeDoux and husband Matt; Sharon Ingram and husband Roger and their children Pierce and wife Amari, Lance and wife Micah, and Brooke Prock and husband Bo; and Susan Vick and her children Isabella Vick and wife Samantha Bender, Camille Becker and husband Ryan, Robert and fiancée Claudia Eck , and Sophia and fiancé Jake Sevier. He is also survived by 10 great grandchildren Lillianna and Rosalee Murdick, Isaac Strasburger, Everett and George LeDoux, Miller and Adeline Ingram, Eloise Ingram, and Cooper and Rory Prock.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Rogers Community Alliance, Family Promise of East Bell County, and Christ Episcopal Church.