Jeffery Scott Stratton

Jeffery Scott Stratton, 60, of Ankeny was called Home on Sunday, March 21, 2021 after a long series of health struggles. A memorial service will be held at Ankeny First United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 27th at 3:30 pm, with visitation one hour prior. To watch a livestream of the memorial service, go to https://boxcast.tv/view/jeff-stratton-memorial-hrv8etmabnm7mg156kap. Due to COVID, a celebration tailgate will take place at a future date. To watch the tribute video of Jeff visit https://youtu.be/uMzL-sbSeLY.

Jeff was born on July 2, 1960 in Le Mars, IA, the eldest of Joseph and Mary Stratton's three children. He grew up in Ames and graduated from Ames High School, where he met some of his closest friends on the Little Cyclones Golf team. After high school, Jeff attended Iowa State University before transferring to the University of Iowa to complete his B.A. in journalism. He was a student sports editor for the Daily Iowan, setting his Cyclone favoritism aside to cover Hayden Fry’s Rose Bowl team. After the first week of classes, Jeff met his true love Kayla Jackson at a Friday music matinee, through mutual friends. Iowa City held a special place in Jeff’s heart, despite his diehard Cyclone fandom.

Jeff and Kayla were married on a golden fall day, October 8, 1988, honeymooning in Aspen on their way back to Los Angeles where Jeff worked as an editor for the National Notary Association. True Midwesterners, they returned to Kayla’s home town of Sioux City, where Jeff continued his career as an editor for publications serving administrators of schools and non-profit organizations. When their daughter Greer was three, they relocated to Ankeny. Jeff felt fortunate to be able to continue his work in a home office, allowing him the flexibility to golf, bike and pick Greer up from school.

Jeff was a passionate sports fan and sportsman. He loved to golf, spending many happy hours at the Ames Oaks course and the Ballard Golf Club. From his dad Joe, he inherited a love of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cyclones. Jeff was known to yell at the TV when his team was losing, scaring the dog. He was a voracious reader of everything from noir mysteries to Hemingway and loved alternative music and the Rolling Stones, an interest he shared with his daughter Greer. Called “Chef Jeff” by his family, guests looked forward to his creative twists on dishes from around the world. He also appreciated a good Mexican casserole. He loved to travel, especially to Britain and Ireland. His favorite trip included retracing Hemingway’s steps around Paris with Kayla and Greer, complete with wine sampling. Jeff was a quiet, kind man with a sharp wit and a quirky sense of humor, beloved by his family and his longstanding group of friends.

Jeff is survived by his wife of 32 years, Kayla; daughter, Greer Stratton of Des Moines; mother, Mary Stratton of Ames; sisters Ann (Mike) Cornelison of Ankeny and Natalie Stratton of Nevada; nephews, Matt, Josh, and Luke Cornelison of Chicago and Billy (Amy) Harrison of Nevada; niece, Nicole (Jay) Christensen of Kansas City, MO; in-laws Carl and Joan Jackson of Ankeny; and faithful Labrador Bilbo. He was preceded in death by his father, Joe Stratton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Iowa Public Broadcasting System, the Iowa Animal Rescue League, and the Food Bank of Iowa.

The family would like to sincerely thank all of the doctors and nurses who provided excellent care for Jeff over the years.