Mrs. Amy Alice (Farley) Strang

Amy A. Farley Strang died Jan. 25 in Altamonte Springs, Florida, at age 93.

Born in 1928 in Sharon, Kansas, her parents Roy and Alice Farley started and pastored many Assemblies of God churches in Kansas. She attended Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Mo. where she met A. Edward Strang and they were married in 1949.

Her husband pastored several churches over the years, but after receiving advanced degrees including a doctor of education, was a college professor and dean most of his career. After he became a professor she finished her degree in 1963 and served as a school teacher for 25 years in both public and private schools. She also taught classes in Bible Colleges where her husband taught and served in various roles.

Amy lived in eight cities growing up in Kansas, then after she was married, she lived in Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, California, North Dakota, British Columbia and Yukon and finally settled in Florida. Her husband died in 1997 and she lived in Seminole County near her son Stephen the rest of her life. Her three children were born three years apart when they lived in Missouri. Karen now lives in California and Paul in Kentucky.

Her son Stephen recorded a podcast on the Strang Report remembering his mother's life. He said that those who knew her knew she was a devout Christian, a woman of prayer who studied the Bible and memorized much scripture. She also prayed for the "persecuted church," supported ministries that did and even traveled once to communist China. She and her husband served at an Assemblies of God Bible college in India for a year in the 1990s and later were short term missionaries to Portugal.

Besides her parents and siblings, Amy Strang is preceded in death by her husband, A. Edward Strang, and one great grandson, Milo Whittington. She is survived by her three children Stephen (wife Joy) of Longwood, Florida, Karen Strang Whittington (husband Bob) of Paso Robles, California, and Paul (wife Hazie) of Lexington, Kentucky.

She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Cameron Strang, Chandler Strang and Dr. Shari Walker all from Florida; Carrie Rieber and Johny Strang of Kentucky; Joshua Whittington, Jonathan Whittington and Joseph Whittington all from California, and Caleb Whittington from Oregon.

She also has seven living great-grandchildren: Cohen Strang of Florida; Sylas Whittington of California; Owen Rieber, Naomi Rieber, Philip Rieber, Sullivan Strang and Nora Strang all of Kentucky.

Burial is in Oaklawn Park cemetery, Sanford, Florida.

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This is the obituary that was put on Charismanews.com by Stephen Strang. Because it is a Christian website which belongs to Stephen and Joy Strang, those parts of her life were emphasized. It's here as information.

Amy A. Strang, mother of Stephen Strang, founder of Charisma, died Jan. 25 in Altamonte Springs, Florida, at age 93.

Born in 1928 in Kansas, her parents Roy and Alice Farley pioneered many Assemblies of God churches in Kansas. Her mother was ordained as an evangelist, as a single woman, in the Assemblies of God in 1914, a few months after the fellowship was formed. Both her grandmothers became early Pentecostals, making her a third-generation Pentecostal only 22 years after the Azusa Street Revival of 1906.

As Stephen Strang says on a Strang Report podcast dedicated to her memory, she always followed God and didn't know when she was saved. Because she said the devil tormented her and told her she wasn't saved, she once walked the aisle in a salvation call to put that issue to rest once and for all. She never strayed from the Lord and was an intercessor years before that word was even used in charismatic circles.

She is also the one Stephen Strang remembers that lead him to the Lord at age 5 or 6 in their home. When Charisma started as a small church magazine, she was one of his biggest fans. In retirement, she worked for Charisma for a short time.

Amy Strang graduated with a three-year degree from Central Bible Institute in 1949 and with a BA from Southeastern Bible College (now Southeastern University) in 1963. She became a school teacher in both public, and later in Christian schools, and stayed in touch with some of her students. Her most famous student was Katherine Harris, the Florida Secretary of State in 2000, when the contentious recount of the presidential election thrust her into the national spotlight. Harris told "Mrs. Strang" years later that she decided to go into politics in fourth grade in her class in Bartow, Florida, when they studied civics and Florida history.

Besides teaching school, she served alongside her late husband, A. Edward Strang, who pastored several churches over the years as well as serving as a Bible College professor. In their retirement years, the couple served as temporary missionaries in India and Portugal.

Stephen Strang remembers his mother as being passionate in praying for the persecuted church. He tells this and other stories about her in his book How We Fit In (available on amazon.com). To read her life story from the book, click here.

Amy Strang is preceded in death by her husband, A. Edward Strang, and all of her immediate family, as well as one great grandson, Milo Whittington. She is survived by her three children Stephen (wife Joy), Karen Strang Whittington (husband Bob) and Paul (wife Hazie), as well as seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.