John Herbert Strandquist

Lt. Col. JOHN HERBERT STRANDQUIST USMC (Ret) On Fathers Day, June 19, 2016 at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD. A former resident of Washington’s Capital Hill, (1986 to 1997), he took his last breath with his wife and some of his eight children by his side. Cause of death was acute respiratory failure and pulmonary fibrosis. He was 10 days short of his 87th birthday. Born to John Herbert Strandquist and Mary Van Calligan Strandquist in Menominee, MI, the family resided in Marinette, WI. Orphaned before his fourth birthday, John was raised by his maternal grandparents, Charles and Mary Van Calligan in Marinette. While his grandmother instilled in him the sense of integrity and accountability he exhibited all his life, he understood at an early age he would have to seek his own destiny. Exhausting a small inheritance from his father after one year at Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, John enlisted in the USMC, went through Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC., and was promoted to PFC upon completion. Rising quickly in enlisted rank, he was recommended for Officer Candidates School, Quantico, VA, where he was commissioned a 2nd Lt and assigned to The Basic School. John’s Marine Corps career spanned 25 years, with overseas deployments to war zones in Korea and in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”. In March, 1973, John retired from the Marine Corps to take a position at The George Washington University where he had graduated in 1968. Initially hired as the Director of Manpower, he was given ever-expanding assignments earning him the title, Assistant Vice President for Administration. After four years at the university, John was offered a position with a small association, located in Berea, OH: The American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA), today known as The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). John saw it as an irresistible challenge to bring a small organization with only 15 employees into the “big leagues.” When the Board decided to move to Alexandria, VA, he organized the purchase of property in Alexandria and all attendant matters of the move from Berea to Alexandria. He served as Operations Officer for the association until, after 13 years, he joined the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) as the president and CEO. Under John’s leadership, AAMVA enjoyed 9 years in growth and increasing influence. He left the association in excellent shape when he retired from his professional life in 1998. He and his wife, moved to Tucson AZ where they lived until 2008, before moving to Annapolis to be close to their children and grandchildren. In the 1970s, John joined Rotary International in Ohio and continued his Rotary membership in Alexandria, VA, Oro Valley, Tucson, AZ, and the Annapolis Rotary in Maryland’s capital city. He was a Paul Harris Fellow. In addition to Rotary, he acquired his Fourth Degree status with Knights of Columbus in 2006 and was a member of the Admiral William S. Benson Assembly in Maryland. John is survived by his wife of 63 ½ years, Mary Gabrielle, and children: John Herbert III (Claire), Mark (Pam), Michael (Karen), Julie Headland (John), Bridget Mills, Blaise (Deborah), Skye Westcott and Peter (Gemini), 25 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Andrew by the Bay Catholic Church, 701 College Parkway, Annapolis, MD on Monday, July 11, at 10 a.m. Friends may also call at Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, on Sunday, July 10 from 3 to 7 p.m. John will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors at a future date to be determined.