James M. Strawn

James Merlin Strawn, 94, of Sioux City died Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, at a Sioux City hospital.
Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home, 1801 Morningside Ave., in Sioux City, with the Rev. Merrill Muller officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Public visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 7 p.m., at the funeral home. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.christysmith.com .
Jim was born on Dec. 14, 1920, in Anthon, Iowa, to Clair and Martha (Deeds) Strawn. He grew up in Sioux City and attended Woodrow Wilson and Central High School. In 1941, he and his cousin, Dale, attended school and were certified as welders. After graduation, they went to work at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City, Mich,., building destroyer escorts.
His future bride, Margaret Katzenberger, also worked there as a now-legendary Rosie the Riveter. The couple were married on Sept. 23, 1942, in Saginaw, Mich.
Jim was drafted into the U.S. Navy and served during World War II in the Navy Armed Guard. He returned to Sioux City after the war and went to work as a laborer for Klinger Construction Company. Shortly thereafter, he entered his apprenticeship in the local bricklayers' union while working for Holtz Construction Company. He later joined Chris Hansen Construction Company, where he practiced his trade until the early 1980s.
Jim worked on many Sioux City buildings, including several churches built in the Sioux City area after the 1950s. He was the chief stone cutter at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and built the church spire. He also reassembled the campus arch at Morningside College.
Jim was an active volunteer as well, helping construct Bishop Heelan's original field house at Memorial Field in the 1950s. He became Chris Hansen's warehouse manager in the mid 1980s until his retirement in 2008 at the age of 88.
Jim was named Sioux City Rotary Citizen of the Year for his many years of work with the Boy Scouts. He was a president of the Sioux City Bricklayers Union, and also served as the union representative at both state and national conventions. He was a member of the American Legion Post 697 in Morningside.
Next to his family, country and work, Jim loved Canadian fishing. He went every year from the 1950s until the late 1990s, always with his good friend, Bob McCline, and others from Siouxland. He loved watching major league baseball especially the St. Louis Cardinals. When it came to college football, he cheered loudly for whoever was playing against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Surviving are four children, Bob and his wife, Julia Strawn of Manhattan, Kan., Mary and her husband, Larry Marquardt of Clive, Iowa, Jerry Strawn of Birmingham, Ala., and Jeannie and her husband, Kirk Evers of Lawton, Iowa; a daughter-in-law, Dale Strawn of Sioux City; his sisters, Joyce Bishop of Sioux City, and Dorothy Strawn of Pace, Fla.; 10 grandchildren, Michelle Strawn-Crowl, John Strawn, Dr. Michael Marquardt, Kevin Marquardt, Jennifer Strawn, Jamie Strawn, Jacob Strawn, Jason Strawn, Sarah Blanford and Jessica Evers; 13 great-grandchildren; and Shelley Brandon his caregiver.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret; son, Bill; sister, Wilma Swanson; two brothers, Gary and Buck Strawn; as well as his parents.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Wounded Warrior Project or the UnityPoint St. Luke's Fund.