Joseph Alexander Strouth

Joseph Alexander Strouth, 31, of Charlottesville, Virginia, left this world for a better place on March 15, 2026. Joe was born in Warner Robins, Georgia, May 23, 1994 to Tamara (Minnich) and Douglas E. Strouth.

Joe traveled the world as an Air Force dependent and discovered his passion for art and photography from an early age. Visiting historic museums and monuments fostered his dedication to a life of learning. This would eventually culminate in his graduation from Wichita State University (WSU) in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and an unofficial minor in French. After college, Joe began working for an art wholesaler website where he photographed and wrote descriptions of art recreations. But always driven to improve things for others, he taught himself front-end coding and design to increase website accessibility, thus altering the trajectory of his career. He excelled at web user interface development for eCommerce, consumer finance, and investment banking, before ultimately becoming a highly-respected Staff Software Engineer.

Joe’s hobbies and interests ran the gamut. He was an expert sniper in video games like 007 Nightfire and Call of Duty, but also with a nerf gun, a paintball gun, or even a pistol. He built his own VR driving rig where he would set lap times that were globally ranked on some of the most exciting race tracks in the world. Never one to mindlessly follow trends, Joe didn’t catch the skateboarding bug in the early 2000s like his brother. Joe instead chose the way of the blade! Learning grinds, spin tricks and grabs, he was a phenomenal rollerblader and intermediate figure skater. He won a free course at Wichita State and decided to learn to ballroom dance. Throughout life he studied the violin, guitar, and electric bass. He enjoyed playing his favorite sport, baseball, and he was a diehard Mets fan, but he loved all levels of our national pastime. He attended collegiate, minor league, and pro games, and visited ballparks around the US. He found majesty in nature as he traveled around Virginia and the south the past few years, visiting many national parks and monuments. He found thrills on his motorcycle and in the world of motorsports like NASCAR and F1. He was always reading or listening to podcasts, and engaging his mind with crosswords and brainteasers. Joe lived unapologetically, taking his time to live in the present moment and capture moments with his cameras when he felt inspired. He was quick with a dry joke or subtle turn of phrase, but it always felt like a win if you could get him to laugh or smile.

Joe's path and growth through life informed his kindness and compassion. He reflected the core tenets of his Christian upbringing through his caring nature and interactions with others. Knowledge and learning were fundamental to his character, and though brilliant, he never used his intellect to belittle others. He sought to share his enthusiasm and excitement about so many things in this world; he was truly a mentor to those around him.

Joe’s dedication and legacy will live on through his vital contributions to the VAConnects system, which helps approximately 800,000 children and 90,000 educators and admins who now use it everyday in Virginia.

Those who knew him will miss him dearly, but what he put into the world and gave others will last much longer. Joe is survived by his parents, Tamara (Tami Minnich) and Douglas E. Strouth, and his older brother, Douglas W. Strouth.

There are no memorial services planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donating to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. https://supporters.eff.org/donate/tribute