Dr. Wallace (Wally) F. Strow

A man’s life is built on moments both big and small.

First, the big moments. Wally was born on March 26, 1925 in Chicago to Wallace A. Strow, D.D.S. and Emily Biedke Strow. He developed a sweet tooth from days in the kitchen with his mother and a love of cars from afternoons spent looking out the front window of his father’s dentistry office. His affection for horses grew out of weekends at his grandparents’ farm.

In 1942, Wally enrolled at the University of Chicago, but his education was interrupted by World War II. He answered the call to serve our nation, joining the U.S. Army. Wally excelled in intelligence-gathering under General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific Theatre, earning four bronze stars.

After four years of service, Wally returned to academia. He graduated from University of Illinois in Champaign, and then attended medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While there, he fell in love with Margaret Miller, a nurse assigned to the same floor as he, and they were married on December 26, 1950. She preceded him in death on October 15, 1980. They share five children: Wally, Jr., Beth, Susan, Brian, and Karen.

After losing Margaret, Wally found his other great love in Patricia Moffitt, and they were married on August 1, 1981. Together they traveled, danced, laughed, played bridge, and lived a full, beautiful life. For more than forty years, they were inseparable.

Wally moved to Springfield on January 2, 1956. The fact that he always remembered the date is an indication of just how much this town meant to him. His love for Springfield largely stemmed from the people he met over the course of 38 years as an ophthalmologist, first with Blair, Fleischli, and Strow and later at Strow Eye Center Ltd.

With the advent of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, he became a member of the teaching staff and retired as emeritus clinical professor in ophthalmology. He presented keratorefractive surgery research at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and he reported cataract surgery computer analysis studies at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

His medical affiliations were: Board-certified in Ophthalmology, member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Illinois Society of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (past president), AMA, Illinois and Sangamon County Medical Societies. He was chairman of the Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Department for multiple terms at St John’s Hospital.

Despite his busy work schedule, Wally found time to indulge in his favorite hobbies. He rode horses and raised Doberman Pinschers, showing them in obedience competitions. Upon retirement, he became a model railroad enthusiast. He was affiliated with American Legion Post 32, Blessed Sacrament Church, Knights of Columbus #364, Illini Country Club, The Sangamo Club, Springfield Art Association, Dance Improvement Assembly, and the Sangamon Valley Pony Club, of which he was a founding parent member.

While the big moments of his life are outlined above, it was in the small moments that Wally shone the brightest. While in the Army in the Philippines, he split his food rations with the starving village children he encountered. When he was in private practice, he opened his ophthalmology office on the weekend for those who could not afford eye exams and glasses for their children, along with many other charitable acts. He was a loving grandfather, and some of his favorite moments were spent taking his family to Michigan City.

His life was a lesson in kindness to others. Let us live every moment, both big and small, like Dr. Wally Strow.

Wally is preceded in death by his parents, first wife, Margaret, and granddaughter, Emily.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Strow; daughters, Dr. Elizabeth Strow (David Reid), Dr. Susan Stegeman (Dr. Jim), and Karen Strow; sons, Dr. Wally Strow, Jr. (Anh), and Brian Strow; grandchildren, Sarah Reid Fletcher (Tom), Catherine Reid, Elizabeth Stegeman (Konrad Kosciuk), Matthew, Michael, Dr. Joseph (Dr. Eleanor Allen), and John Stegeman, and Andrew, Meredith, Tyson, and Vincent Strow; and, great-grandchildren, Wallace Hugh Fletcher, and Joseph and Charles Kosciuk.

Visitation and Funeral Mass: Family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Monday, January 30, 2023, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Springfield, IL. A Funeral Mass will follow at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Jeff Grant, celebrant.

The Rite of Committal and burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Strow Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, 205 S. 5th Street, Suite 530, Springfield, IL 62701.

The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home-Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield, IL.