The famous call welcomed by all NASCAR fans “gentlemen, start your engines” will no longer be heard by one of the sports’ biggest fans, Albert B. “Bernie” Stroshine, Jr. 77, of Swanzey, NH, with his sudden passing on Thursday, June 6, 2019.
His parents, Lucille (Poulin) and Albert Bernard Stroshine, Sr., welcomed their son into the world on December 28, 1941, in Springfield, Mass. He grew up in Keene, NH and was a 1959 graduate of Keene High School.
Bernie’s work career spanned many aspects of customer service. He was widely recognized for his role as owner of Stroshine Auto Parts in Keene for fourteen years. After selling his business, Bernie sought out a new career in customer service as a service advisor with an automobile dealership in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, after sixteen years in Charlotte, his home routes drew him back to Swanzey.
Bernie was a parishioner of St. Bernard Church in Keene; a member of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Assembly Knights of Columbus 4th Degree; and an active member of the Knights of Columbus Council 819 of St. Bernard Church, and served as chairman of the Home Association and as a member of their Board of Directors. He was a former member of the Keene Rotary Club, and a current member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge 927 and the Italian Club. He was also chairman of the Swanzey Pack 297 Cub Scouts.
Bernie enjoyed being at the ocean, loving the sound of the waves and the tranquility this sound provided. However, as an avid NASCAR and stock car racing fan, the true music to his ears was the sound of the roaring engineers. Great days were found watching the NASCAR races on Sundays as well as watching and rooting for all of the New England sports teams.
He will be greatly missed by many, especially his wife of 58 years, Joanne C. (Dubuque) Stroshine of Swanzey; his children, Alan Stroshine and his wife, Melissa, of Keene, Lara Routhier and her husband, Jon, of Dunbarton, NH, Chris Stroshine and his wife, Kristen, of Keene; his grandchildren, Alexander Stroshine, Claire Stroshine, Jonathan Routhier, Lincoln Routhier, Collin Stroshine, Karli Stroshine; a niece, Shelley Burch of East Wakefield, NH; two nephews, Jere Worcester of Gehenna, OH and Matthew Worcester of Dublin, NH; and a sister-in-law, Jeanne Sterling and her husband, Bill, of Dublin. He was predeceased by a brother, John Stroshine.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, June 13th at 11:00am in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene. Burial in the Mt. Caesar Cemetery, Swanzey, will be private. Family and friends are invited to call on Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00PM at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Stroshine’s memory to the Salvation Army, 15 Roxbury Plaza, Keene, NH 03431.
