Obituaries

Obituary: Judy Strimel

She "made a difference wherever she went," her husband said.

 

Judith Correllus Strimel, the matriarch of an extended family that meant everything to her, died Sunday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

A Bayada home health care marketing administrator, she was 63 and a resident of Wayne, Delaware County.

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“She was the mother of many, and the pride of all. Judy Strimel made a difference wherever she went,” said George Strimel, her husband of 31 years.

(Please share your memories of Judy and condolences in the comment section of this article.)

Find out what's happening in Radnorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

George and Judy first met in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, the island community off the coast of Massachusetts where they spent their first ten years of married life.

When they met, both had two children each from an earlier marriage. But there was never talk of step children, or half-brothers or half-sisters. “We were and remain a dedicated family unit,” explained George. “This tradition continues with the mutual embrace of our eight grandchildren.”

Judy at one point worked in Edgartown as a realtor. “She sold the legendary TV anchorman Walter Cronkite and his wife, Betsy, their home on the island,” recalled her husband.

Born on the island, Judy Strimel was the daughter of the late Manuel F. Correllus, a state forester for both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and Hilda Merritt Correllus, a registered nurse from Maine.

“Judy loved the Vineyard and had fond memories of riding in her father’s forest-fire fighting truck, and pedaling her bicycle through the woods,” recalled George Strimel. That woodland preserve today is the 5,000 acre Manuel Correllus State Park, named in honor of her father.

Judy Strimel loved to work in the garden of the Strimel home on Louella Court that captured her signature style with its sculptured hedges, creative plant arrangements and brightly-colored clusters of flowers.

She was an active member of The Community Garden Club at Wayne, an organization of liked-minded neighborhood gardeners. She was also active with the Main Line Chamber of Commerce and the Wayne Business Association.

Judy was also a voracious reader, and favored mysteries, light fiction, and books devoted to cooking and gardening. She passed her love of reading onto her children and grandchildren.

Daughter Gwyneth Wallace of Edgartown, MA says that some of her greatest memories are of the dinner table. She says “no matter how busy we all were, she always had dinner waiting for us, and she insisted on setting the table. That meant cloth napkins, salad and dinner forks, and placemats. We embraced our time together. I’ll always remember lively conversation and a great amount of laughter.”

Daughter Alison Pratt of Aldan remembers best the Brownie camping trips with her mother as a chaperone, and the time Judy accompanied her on a seventh grade skiing trip.

“She wasn't a skier, but she did so because she was so involved with her kids, she wanted us to enjoy our childhood.”

Judy enjoyed traveling nationally to cities like San Francisco and New York as well as visits to metropolitan areas in Canada, Montreal and Quebec City among her favorites. 

“Since we were both Anglophiles, London was a great favorite,” said George Strimel, executive director of Radnor Studio 21, a community public access TV station.

“We enjoyed the London social clubs, restaurants, West End theater productions, and making out of town train excursions with British friends we met on earlier visits to the United Kingdom.”

Son Jeremy Pratt of Camden, ME remembers with fondness baseball trips he and his mother made to Boston to watch the Red Sox play in Fenway Park. “She had no interest is sports, let alone baseball, but she wanted me to have a good time,” he said.

He’s also thankful for his mother’s liberal political positions that convinced him to become a member of the Democrat Party. “Thank God she made me a Democrat. Now I can negate family Republican votes,” said Pratt, good naturedly, of course. 

Daughter Victoria Ketterer of Hazelton credits her mother’s unconditional love with helping resolve an adolescent dilemma when her grades were suffering.

She stressed that by applying myself, I could conquer life’s obstacles. It was advice that grounded me as a person.” 

Judy was also well loved by her many neighbors. Louella Court neighbor Joan McDevitt credits Judy Strimel with giving her sound advice on grandmother issues. “When dealing with grandchildren, Judy taught me when to talk, and when to zip it.”

Gerry Nicolini, a Louella Court neighbor for 13 years before moving his family to Chadds Ford, occasionally returns to the old neighborhood.

He remembers the two families sharing drinks and small talk on the open front porch of the Strimel home and taking care of one another’s pets during respective out of town vacation trips.

 “We visited this past Easter Sunday so our daughter could participate in an Easter egg hunt organized by Judy,” he explained. “We were treated to a great holiday dinner, too!”   

But perhaps Judy’s greatest love was her eight grandchildren. “She never took a break,” says daughter Alison, “she went right from attending the concerts of her four kids to starting all over again with her grandchildren. She never missed a big event. Ever.”

In addition to her four children and husband, Judy Strimel is survived by eight grandchildren: Phoebe Kelleher, Elizabeth Kelleher, Daniel Ketterer, Dylan Wallace, Michael Wallace, Natalie Wallace, Nili Swisa and Alexandra Swisa.

A contribution in Judy Strimel’s name can be made to Radnor Memorial Library, 114 West Wayne Avenue, Wayne, PA. 19087.

There will be a Celebration of Life memorial gathering for Judy Strimel on Saturday afternoon from 4 PM to 6 PM in the garden of the Strimel home at 47 Louella Court, Wayne, followed by a celebration on Martha’s Vineyard in September.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here