John Lawrence Strandberg Jr.

John was born in Hartford, CT on March 26, 1946, the son of Gertrude (Cone) and John L Strandberg, Sr. of Savoy Avenue in East Longmeadow, MA. He graduated from East Longmeadow High School in 1964 and then studied Architecture in college, graduating from Syracuse University. He worked for Reinhart Associates and then Alderman and MacNeish for over 30 years designing schools throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 2004 John opened JLS Architects Inc, designing a wide range of businesses, churches, modular classrooms and home additions over the next fifteen years.

John was strong, kind, generous and loved by many. He had a natural ability to make people comfortable and laid claim to a wide circle of friends from various walks of life. He was a master of trivia with an amazing knowledge of the most obscure subjects. He loved working on his John Deere tractors and cars, especially the Cobra kit car that he started building in 2003. He was a devoted horse show dad always willing to drive daughter Katie to the barn or a horse show regardless of the weather or time of day. Although mostly a homebody, he also enjoyed traveling on the various trips that wife Terri planned and was a great travel companion.

John absolutely loved being on the farm in North Carolina. In addition to being closer to daughter Kate and her husband Nate (his two favorite people in the universe), he was able to get his daily fix. Something somewhere on the farm always needed fixing. He had an amazing capacity to take something apart, figure out what was wrong and put it back together.

John is fondly remembered by the Rice Drive neighbors for his annual 4th of July fireworks display and for always being willing to help fix anything.

He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Caroline and brother Ernie Morell.

He will be sorely missed by Terri, his wife of 30 years and their daughter Kate and her husband Nathanael Estes along with many friends and family.

A private memorial service was held at the NC farm and a Sugar Maple tree will be planted later in the Spring in his memory. A celebration of life will be held in John’s honor in the fall for Massachusetts friends and family.