Olga Diane Strid

IN  LOVING  MEMORY  OF

Olga Diane Strid

May 10, 1926 — July 29, 2020

OBITUARY

Olga Diane Strid went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 29, 2020, at the age of 94, with her daughter, La Donna Strid, and grandson, Jason Williams, by her side.

Olga was born May 10, 1926, in Slovgrad, Russia to Henry and Margaret Unruh. She was the second oldest of five children – Katherine, Helen, Ann, and Henry Jr.

At the age of three, Olga and her family escaped Soviet Russia across the Amur River, finding refuge in Harbin, China and then immigrating to America. They arrived at Angel Island immigration station on Feb. 15, 1930 and then onto Reedley, California where they began their new life.

Olga spent much of her early years working on the family farm with her siblings – packing peaches, digging up potatoes, gathering eggs, and driving the tractor. Her sister Helen fondly recounts how she and Olga turned thousands of trays of raisins. When able, Olga would stay inside to help her mom clean to avoid farm labor.. This must have been where she received her house cleaning skills - her house was always spotless. You could have eaten off the floor.

In 1946, while working at the Del Monte Peach Cannery, Olga met her husband, John Calvin Strid. John surprised Olga with two gifts that Christmas, a hairbrush and a ring. Despite her mother’s advice to “keep the brush and return the ring,” Olga was in love and now, engaged.

They built their first home on a small plot of land on the Unruh farm and were married on April 27, 1948. In 1951, Olga gave birth to their daughter, La Donna, followed soon after by their son, Gerald, in 1952.

Olga’s love to work was second only to her love for God and family, and she spent many days canning peaches for nearly 50 years until her retirement from the Del Monte Cannery.

Much like other aspects of her life, Olga was a loving but strict grandmother. All the grandkids have fond memories of Olga taking them to feed the ducks at the park, teaching them songs and poems from her childhood, baking swiebacks (the traditional bread from her German heritage), and playing dominoes. She was also known to threaten a “klotch on the shinken” her German for spanking, when they were misbehaving – something that was simultaneously hilarious and terrifying.

Olga was a devout Christian who came to accept the Lord as her Savior at a young age. She wanted everyone to know the Lord personally and sought to have him at the forefront of everything she did. She was baptized in the Kings River and was an active member of many churches.

It was at the First Baptist Church where Olga and John met lifelong friends, Donna and Phil Lawrence. The couples took many trips together – Hawaii and the Panama Canal being two especially memorable ones.

Even after John passed in July 2006, Donna and Phil continued to travel to Fresno for years to take Olga to breakfast, shopping at Gottschalks and the local thrift stores, one of her favorite pastimes.

In her later years, Olga was able to continue living in the home she loved thanks to the selfless support and care of La Donna and Jason.

Olga Strid was one of the last surviving members of her immediate family and is predeceased by her husband, John Strid and son, Gerald Strid.

She is survived by her sister Helen Unruh Stone; daughter, La Donna Strid; daughter-in-law, Patty (Strid) Behrens (Kevin); grandchildren, Sarah Strid-Morgan (Mike), Samuel Strid (Andrea), Spencer Strid, and Jason Williams; along with great-grandchildren, Beckett and Audrey Strid, nieces, nephews and many other loved ones.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Care Connections, a ministry providing grief support and practical help for those grieving in Fresno. Please make checks payable to Bridge Church with “Care Connections/Olga Strid” noted in the memo. Checks can be mailed to the Bridge Church 3438 E. Ashlan Avenue, Fresno, CA 93726.

I would like to thank everyone for the prayers the past few weeks. The Lord provided strength.

“I lift my eyes unto the hills, Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121

- La Donna

INTERMENT

Clovis Cemetery District

305 N. Villa, Clovis, California

RELATIVES

Husband:  John Calvin Strid (deceased)

Daughter:  La Donna Strid

Son:  Gerald Strid (deceased)

Granddaughter:  Sarah Strid-Morgan

Grandson:  Samuel Louis Strid

Grandson:  Spencer John Strid

Great Grandson:  Beckett Strid

Great Granddaughter:  Audrey Strid

Sister:  Katherine Shultz (deceased)

Sister:  Helen Stone

Sister:  Ann Schwabenland (deceased)

Brother:  Henry Unruh Jr. (deceased)

Grandson:  Jason Allen Williams

“I am the resurrection,

and the life:

he that believeth in me,

though he were dead,

yet shall he live:

and whosoever liveth

and believeth in me

shall never die.”

John 11:25-26

“May God touch you

with His healing hand

and give you the peace and comfort

you need to get through.”

Anon.

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