Fred M Stratman

George, IA   While singing “Victory In Jesus”, Fred went home to meet his Savior on July 1, 2017, after a long battle with cancer.           A memorial service will be 10:30 a.m., Thursday, July 6th at First Baptist Church, rural George, Iowa, with Rev. Mike Hagan officiating.         Family will be receiving family and friends Wednesday, July 5th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Jurrens Funeral Home of George.        Fred was born on October 22, 1945 to Meinert and Mary (Winter) Stratman of rural Little Rock, IA. He lived the adventurous life of a farm boy while growing up. After attending several one room country schools, he started town school in Little Rock in the 7th grade, graduating with the Little Rock High School class of 1963. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1973 with degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science and immediately moved to Houston, TX where he was involved in the NASA Space Shuttle program until the late 90’s. At that time he moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and retired from Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control-Dallas in 2007, subsequently moved back to Northwest Iowa.           He proudly served his country in the US Army during the Vietnam Conflict with the 5/22 Artillery on howitzer firebases in the Central Highlands. While in Texas, he also served his community as a council member and Mayor Pro Tem in the City of Webster. After returning to Iowa, he was on the Sheldon Trails Committee and Sheldon Airport Commission board.           At the age of 12, after hearing the gospel preached by Evangelist Willard Wyatt of Atlanta, Georgia, Fred accepted Christ as his Savior. He experienced holy spirit baptism as an adult, at the Nassau Bay Baptist Church in Houston, TX.           He married the love of his life, the former Wanda (Hindt) Dover in 2006 and became a grandpa to her six wonderful and talented grandchildren. He enjoyed doing road trips with Wanda, attending their grandchildren’s school activities and gatherings with both his and Wanda’s families, which often involved spirited games of Hand and Foot and Pitch. He loved southern gospel, bluegrass and country music, woodworking, sheet metal work and computer programming. He fulfilled his love of aviation by assembling a kit airplane, still a work in progress. Annual weeklong trips to Airventure in Oshkosh were always a big event.           He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Arlene Walker, sister-in-law Carolyn Stratman and two brothers-in-law, Robert Razor and John Walker. He is survived by his wife, Wanda, step daughters Leisl Lidiak and husband, Tom; Noelle Fjeld and husband, Don; six grandchildren, Emily, Olivia and Erin Lidiak and AnnaMarie, Andrew and Christina Fjeld, all of Sheldon; brother George Stratman of George, IA; sister Thelma Razor of Ankeny, IA; eight nieces and nephews; his special EAA family of Sheldon and many Dover Tour friends.           Fred will be buried with honors at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD. He was a kind, polite, tender-hearted, loving person who will be tremendously missed by his and Wanda’s families, many friends and acquaintances. Soar like an eagle, Fred!