Catherine (Kay) Strok

Catherine was born in a steel mill town, Youngstown, Ohio on October 14, 1929. She was the 8th daughter born to John and Elizabeth Gonda. All of her schooling was in Ohio. According to her, she was a HOLY TERROR when she started Immaculate Conception School. Her older sister Theresa had to take her back home many times for the first two weeks. She graduated from East High School and then completed a course in cosmetology. She changed careers and began to work as an operator at the telephone company. Some of the things she especially wanted to remember were the Sunday drives Mom and Dad took them on, trips to Milton Dam to swim, and the happy times they spent at Lincoln Park. Christmas was always something to look forward to at their house. The tree was decorated on Christmas Eve and then off to midnight mass. They left Ohio in 1951 and settled in Roswell, New Mexico. Kay met her husband-to-be Ed on a blind date. He was stationed at Walker Air Force Base. Ed and Kay married and had two children born in Roswell. They moved to California in 1961 and three more children joined their beautiful family. When all the children were in school finally in 1979, she went to work for the Los Angeles County Schools of Special Education as an instructional assistant. 

Catherine retired from Education and was blessed with many more years here on Earth. She was a blessing to us all and she is dearly missed 🙏 ❤️

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Edward on March 13, 2001. 

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by eight of her nine sisters, Thelma Corcoran, Ethel Jones, Theresa Vukovich, Mary Haggerty, Elizabeth Terpak, Anna Mae Thompson, Magdalene Kincaid, and Bertha Macko.

She is survived by one sister, Patricia Antram; five children, Gary Strok, Kathy Strok, Sandra Hoier, Philip Strok, and Sharon Strok; six grandchildren, Melanie Sholes, Jessica Mellinger, Brittany Apfel, Matthew Strok, Pamela Huang, and Cynthia Huang; and seven great-grandchildren, Sawyer Sholes, Maeve Sholes, Chase Mellinger, Raegan Mellinger, Emma Kay Apfel, Celine Mcintyre, and Lucas Mcintyre.

Please join us for a Celebration of Catherine's Life on Monday December 15, at 5 pm with a dinner reception directly following at the Memory Chapel at Forest Lawn Covina Hills.

You may also join us for a Catholic Mass at St. Louise de Marilac Church in Covina. It is on December 16th at 10am followed by a burial at Forest Lawn. 

Flowers may be sent to Forest Lawn.

Donations can be made to David & Margaret Youth and Family Services. 1350 3rd St, La Verne, CA 91750. (909)596-5921. Please make sure to say they are in Catherine Strok's honor.  She loved working there. Thank you.