Donald Henry Strahle

Strahle, Donald Henry — Died on October 29, at the age of 82 years. He was born in Camden, New Jersey on March 2, 1933, where he was raised with his sisters, Pat and Nadine. He graduated from High School in Camden, where he was very active in sports, particularly baseball, being selected as an all South-Jersey outfielder. During the Korean War he enlisted in the US Army, was assigned to a radar maintenance team in Germany, and was eventually discharged as a sergeant. He subsequently worked on the Atlantic Missile Range at Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean at a radar site used to track missiles fired from Cape Canaveral. This was followed by employment as an engineer in Iran, where he taught electronics. He returned to the U.S. and worked as an engineer for the U.S. Air Force, where he developed installation plans for the North American early warning radar system. In 1971 he and his family emigrated to Canada, where he worked as a quality control engineer for several companies in the Toronto area. In 1978 he joined Ontario Hydro, where he ran their procurement quality assurance section. He was a member of several Canadian National Committees dealing with quality management, and represented Canada at international conferences developing standards for use world-wide. In 1989 he was elected a Fellow of the American Society for Quality, “in recognition of his meritorious contributions to the development of Canadian and International quality standards; to the development of credible methods of assessing the effectiveness of such standards; and to his widespread promotion of the use of quality management techniques.” Curiosity about his family background led to an avid interest in genealogy, which eventually resulted in the discovery that his maternal ancestors arrived on this continent from the UK and Germany in the mid and late 1600’s. In his retirement, he published a number of family histories. He was a member of the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, and was Chair of the Congregation's Board from 1981 to 1983. He met his wife Shamsi (nee Kouladji) in Iran, where they were married in 1960. She survives, along with their son Fred Strahle, his wife Michele Clemo and sons Aaron and Colin; their daughter Mehre Zuckerman, her daughters Riley, Taylor, and Andie; and his sister Nadine Thompson of Oak Park, Illinois. Predeceased by his sister Pat Simpkins of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Friends may visit at the JERRETT FUNERAL HOME, 6191 Yonge Street, North York (South of Steeles Avenue) on Tuesday November 3, 2015 from 10 a.m. until Service time at 11 a.m. in the Chapel. Interment York Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.jerrettfuneralhometoronto.ca If desired, donations may be made to www.alzheimer.ca